Craig Gillespie has teased Supergirl is "really an anti-hero story".

After cameoing in 2025's Superman, the upcoming DC Universe (DCU) blockbuster will see Milly Alcock star as the Woman of Tomorrow in an adventure of her own, and director Gillespie has now said Supergirl will follow the heroine as she battles "a lot of [her own] demons".

Speaking with media after debuting the first trailer for Supergirl, Gillespie said: "This is really an anti-hero story. She's got a lot of demons, a lot of baggage coming into this, which is very different from where Superman is in his life."

DCU co-CEO James Gunn added Supergirl was not perfect "at all".

HE said: "So many times female superheroes are so perfect. She's not that at all … Like male superheroes have been allowed to be for a while."

The gritty first trailer for Supergirl introduces a bruised, world-weary Kara Zor-El (Alcock) as she drifts through space, haunted by Krypton's fall and numbing her pain on her 23rd birthday.

When she crosses paths with the vengeful Ruthye (Eve Ridley), flashes of lost worlds, brutal fights, and a tease of Lobo (Jason Momoa) set up a cosmic revenge story that promises a harder, sharper edge to the new DCU.

The film also stars Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills, Emily Beecham as Alura and David Krumholtz as Zor-El.

Supergirl - which is slated to hit cinemas in June 2026 - is an adaptation of Tom King's 2022 comic run Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

The official synopsis for Supergirl reads: "When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice."

As well as Supergirl, Gunn is working on the follow-on to Superman, Man of Tomorrow, which will see the return of David Corenswet's Man of Steel and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor.

Although Man of Tomorrow will take place after Superman, Gunn previously said the movie will not be a direct sequel to his 2025 blockbuster.

During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, the Guardians of the Galaxy director said: "It is a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat.

"And it's more complicated than that. It's as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I relate to the character of Lex, sadly."

As well as the story, Gunn revealed Man of Tomorrow would enter production in April 2026 ahead of its July 2027 release.

He said: "That was at the beginning when I took on DC and I promised myself I'm slowing down at least a tiny bit.

"Although I am creating the Superman sequel that we're starting to shoot in April or so. I'm done writing that for the most part."

The Peacemaker creator added Man of Tomorrow has been an idea he has "had for a long time". Reflecting on the wider DCU, Gunn said he was planning to tell "one big story" through his superhero movies, though insisted each entry would also be able to stand on its own two feet.

He explained: "It's a part of the plan of the DCU. There is one big story.

"On the one hand, everything is gonna be okay to watch by itself, but also there's a bigger story being told that involves, say, Salvation.

"And so that story involves Rick Flag, it involves Lex and Superman. So there's those movies that I'm gonna be directing.

"That's the plan right now, at least. I may get so f****** tired that I can't do it, because I'm pretty tired. But we'll see. But there's a plan that I'm gonna do. You know, it's a couple more, at least."