Supergirl came out last week, and it’s clearly not setting the world on fire like many had assumed or hoped. Now it’s time to figure out just what happened here, and that’s where the Hollywood Reporter comes in.
In a new report, the outlet alleged there were creative differences between director Craig Gillespie and producer James Gunn. One source claims the pair “were not creatively aligned,” while others say any issues had were of the standard variety instead of anything salacious. By the time filming wrapped in May 2025, Gillespie and the studio reportedly knew the movie didn’t really have it, leading to some tweaks. For example, Gunn enlisted Mortal Kombat II writer Jeremy Slater to help original writer Ana Nogueira punch up the script, which led to the final fight getting “reconfigured.”
THR’s sources claim Supergirl had four test screenings, and this is where things truly hit a wall. There were two editors on the film, Fred Raskin—who’s worked with Gunn before on Peacemaker and the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy—and Tatiana S. Riegel, Gillespie’s longtime editor on Cruella and I, Tonya. Scores improved with each new cut, and then WB reportedly decided to pit two different versions against each other: a cut it made during post-production, and Gillespie’s version. It’s said Gillespie’s is 11 minutes longer and scored better in terms of villain, song choices, and pacing. But since WB’s cut had an overall higher score by two points, it’s the one that went out to theaters.
According to someone uninvolved with the film but experienced in franchises, this type of situation has happened before, but is still “not normal. If a studio is going to put money into the test process, it means they feel strongly about certain things.” After that point, the movie never got tested again, and Gillespie allegedly had to personally advocate for whatever he wanted to be in it. Except for the controversial needle drop of a cover of Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle” during an action scene near the end: that reportedly came from Gunn, as did Cindy Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” another potential candidate for the set piece.
With Supergirl as the sophomore effort for these new DC movies, its failure to launch hits harder than if it came later in the game. Even so, things seem to be business as usual for now: Clayface is out in October, and Man of Tomorrow—which Milly Alcock will be in—comes in July 2027. THR notes that Gunn’s influence will still be felt: Jimmy Olsen’s still getting his comedy spinoff DC Crime, and a Mr. Terrific spinoff from The Sandman writer Allan Heinberg is in “active development.” Anything else after that, we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out, including Paramount’s play at acquiring Warner Bros.
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