DC Studios' Supergirl reportedly faced a director's cut dilemma that isn't all that dissimilar to the problems that befall Zack Snyder's Justice League. Warner Bros. caused its biggest DC controversy ever in 2017 when it replaced director Zack Snyder on its first-ever Justice League movie, abandoning his dark, gritty vision for a poor attempt to replicate the MCU's tone. That sparked a four-year campaign to "#ReleaseTheSnyderCut," which culminated in its release on HBO Max in 2021.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, DC Studios simultaneously developed multiple cuts of Supergirl in the final stages of production, one from director Craig Gillespie and another from the James Gunn-led superhero studio itself. Having chosen which cut to release in a test screening contest, the polarizing flick playing in theaters is said to be the studio-crafted cut, echoing the days of 2017's Justice League, when Zack Snyder's vision was drastically altered before release.
Things never got as far as replacing Gillespie as director in the way that Warner Bros. did with Snyder in 2017, bringing in The Avengers helmer Joss Whedon at the last minute to rewrite parts of the scripts, hold reshoots, and create his own cut with a lighter MCU-esque tone, but there were other creative forces at play.
Most notably, Disney+'s Moon Knight and 2015's Fantastic Four scribe Jeremy Slater was brought in to assist with post-production, having previously worked on the now-canceled Authority movie for DC Studios. It is believed that Slater came aboard after a lackluster test screening in December and wrote scenes for Supergirl's nine days of reshoots as the studio began developing its own cut.
THR stated that DC Studios had a "slowly heavying hand" in Supergirl, including bringing in Guardians of the Galaxy editor Fred Raskin to join Gillespie's go-to cutting partner, Tatiana S. Riegel, on the last stretch to release.
Despite gradually climbing into the low 70s (out of 100) in test screening scores, the studio abandoned plans to prioritize improving just one cut and instead divided forces between Gillespie and the studio to make two versions.
Gillespie's cut was reportedly 11 minutes longer, with more footage of Matthias Schoenaerts' Krem of the Yellow Hills, whose underdeveloped nature was one of Supergirl's toughest criticisms. The lengthier cut was praised for its "song choices, pacing, and villain," but scored two points lower than the studio's shorter iteration, which is ultimately the one now playing in theaters.
THR's sources were conflicted on the dynamic between DC Studios and Gillespie, with one saying that "'They were not creatively aligned’ is the polite way of describing things." However, others stated that they had a "normal amount of healthy friction," and Gunn and Safran have "respect" for the director.
One of Supergirl's most highly-criticized moments came with the female cover of "The Middle" during the DCU flick's final face-off. However, THR states that the needle-drop originally belonged to a version of Cyndi Lauper’s "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," a Gunn choice, until it was replaced by the Jimmy Eat World cover.
At the time of publication, THR stated that "The Middle" was also chosen by Gunn; however, that has since been removed from the report, leaving it uncertain whether the divisive choice came from Craig Gillespie or the DC Studios higher-ups.
Supergirl: Release the Gillespie Cut?
Despite everything, The Hollywood Reporter was clear that the differences between Supergirl's cuts were not "particularly pronounced." Between that and the similarly mediocre test score, it's tough to imagine Craig Gillespie's take on Supergirl would have landed much better with audiences.
The Supergirl exposé looks questionable on Gunn, who said as far back as the DCU's Chapter 1 slate announcement in 2023 that it is "really important" to him that each project's creatives can bring their own "self-expression:"
"Even though this is all a connected universe, it’s really important to me that the individual writers and directors on the projects give their own self-expression to it, just like they do in the comics. Everything doesn’t always look the same. Everything doesn’t always have the same expression. Different artists bring remarkably different looks, feels, and tones. This is not the Gunnverse."
In many ways, Supergirl was the first true test for Gunn's DCU, as it finally offered a project not led by the superhero-directing veteran. The movie's mixed reactions and box-office disaster, combined with intense studio interference, certainly don't look good for a fresh DCU that Gunn has promised will be creator-first.
While the revelations certainly call Gunn's promises into question, studios have and always will take some creative involvement in their biggest blockbusters, especially those said to be troubled and within a teething cinematic universe.
Knowing that there is a second cut of Supergirl hidden away in the DC Studios archives, just as there was with Zack Snyder's Justice League, there is bound to be a sect of fans eager to see what could have been. But for now, a "#ReleaseThe GillespieCut" movement doesn't seem to be forming, and Supergirl's behind-the-scenes troubles are likely to disappear into DCU history in the near future.
Next up, James Gunn's DCU has HBO's Lanterns in August (already receiving positive buzz) and Clayface in October (supposedly with a stellar script). DC Studios will need both to land with critics, fans, and in viewership, especially as Warner Bros.' looming Paramount merger is bound to put the DCU under scrutiny.
