Why We're Worried About The Supergirl Movie

There's a lot riding on the upcoming DC Universe movie "Supergirl," which swoops into theaters this summer. Here at Looper, we have some concerns about Kara Zor-El's solo film — check out the video above to find out why we're worried about it.

On paper, there's a lot to be excited about heading into "Supergirl," which is directed by Craig Gillespie (who directed the Margot Robbie hit "I, Tonya") from a script by Ana Nogueira (who penned the critically acclaimed thriller "Never Here"). David Corenswet's Superman cameos and Jason Momoa appears as the popular DC antihero Lobo. Plus, the cute-as-a-button Krypto returns. Yet, despite the obvious positives, the second trailer for "Supergirl" had everyone saying the same thing — it's got a very "Guardians of the Galaxy" vibe.

While James Gunn's "Superman" received mostly positive reviews and made a decent haul at the box office, the jury remains out on "Supergirl" judging by the reaction to the trailers, and it's not just because it "looks like 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3.5.'" as one X user put it. The DC Universe under Gunn and Peter Safran hasn't fully convinced all the doubters. If "Supergirl" succeeds — both at the box office and with fans — it could go a long way in building momentum for the DCU and silencing the noise. But if it doesn't, the pair may find themselves navigating choppy waters sooner than they would have liked.

DC Studios co-head James Gunn has a reputation for interacting with fans online. The filmmaker is known for clarifying rumors or inaccurate reports. Naturally, "Supergirl" has come up in conversation a lot since it was first announced. In December 2025, Forbes Australia published a profile on Milly Alcock which claimed that "Supergirl" was costing $200 million to make. On Threads, a fan asked Gunn if this was an accurate number. "Not even a little bit true," Gunn replied.

There's no reason not to believe Gunn, but that's not to say the budget hasn't gone above what was initially expected — reports suggest that there have been at least eight reported test screenings for "Supergirl," and reshoots are likely to have inflated the budget. In addition to this, DC has now hired three different composers to take a crack at scoring the film, with Claudia Sarne replacing Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL), who had already replaced Ramin Djawadi. None of them would have come cheap.

You could view this as Gunn and DC doing their utmost to make sure the film is a hit, and perhaps the extra work will pay off, but all the tinkering and reported test screenings certainly doesn't inspire confidence. Remember to check out Looper's video above for a full rundown on why "Supergirl" has us very worried.