Casting rumors for the Supergirl series have been heating up as of late, and now the much-discussed role of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, has gone to actress Melissa Benoist. Variety reports that Benoist was always in the running and in close competition with The Vampire Diaries and The Originals actress Claire Holt, as well as Elizabeth Lail, who had been seen recently on ABC’s Once Upon A Time as the Frozen character Anna.
Benoist is best known to TV viewers as Marley on Fox’s Glee, but movie buffs saw her in Best Picture nominee Whiplash as the love interest for Miles Teller’s protagonist drummer. While neither project really thrust the actress into the major spotlight, this casting will surely make her an almost overnight star with huge household name potential.
The Supergirl series is being developed for CBS by Arrow and The Flash mastermind Greg Berlanti, and the pilot was co-written with Ali Adler. Rumors have swirled about connections between the shows, and Berlanti himself has been asked whether Supergirl could exist in the same universe as Arrow and The Flash, even though they air on a separate (but CBS co-owned) network. Berlanti has played coy, but EW recently let slip that he’s at least had talks with the powers-that-be about crossover potential:
The show will follow 24-year-old Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin, and with a twist that that could melt fanboy brains, Berlanti says it’s possible this Supergirl could enter the worlds of Arrow and The Flash.
Benoist certainly has a cute face with the right mix of beauty and naiveté that’s needed for the role of Kara, and she turned in a fine performance in Whiplash. The real test will be to see her with blonde hair and donning the iconic S-emblem shield and red cape. It’s worth noting that Supergirl is not set in the Man of Steel cinematic universe, and Berlanti has said that the show will be closer in tone to The Flash than Arrow.
The series will find Kara at age 24, as she decides to embrace her powers and become a hero like her cousin Superman. No word yet on the exact details of her origin and how much (if any) influence the character of Superman will have on the show.
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