Tag: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman

DC Comics is not going to sit still and let Marvel get all the big bucks from female characters such as Agent Carter, the upcoming Jessica Jones, and the female crew of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nope, DC Comics is bringing Supergirl to CBS. Casting announcements appearing for the pilot are making news daily. I’m amped about the female actors who have been cast in this show.

Melissa Benoist will be Supergirl or Kara Danvers. Her character is called Kara Zor-El on planet Krypton. She is Superman’s cousin, has the same super powers he does, and is vulnerable to kryptonite. She’s now 24 years old and decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she always was meant to be.

Supergirl’s mom Alura, back on Krypton, will be played by Tony Award winner Laura Benanti. I’m wondering if there will be singing, because Benanti and Benoist are both excellent singers. It would be a shame to waste that, but it’s probably too much to hope for from a story based on a comic book. Here’s Alura’s character description: “A strong noblewoman, Alura sends Kara to Earth to escape Krypton’s destruction. Her wisdom and guidance echoes across space and time, proving invaluable on Kara’s journey toward becoming Supergirl.”

Supergirl’s boss, Cat Grant, will be played by Calista Flockhart. Cat Grant is described thus: “Grant, a self-made media magnate and founder of CatCo who started her career as a reporter and has built her company into a global powerhouse.” This is the first role Calista Flockhart has accepted since Brothers and Sisters ended, so I’m thinking it must be a juicy part.

Chyler Leigh will be Alexandra “Alex” Danvers, Kara’s foster sister. Her character is describe like this: “Fascinated by Kara’s powers from a young age, Alex developed a lifelong obsession with science which inspired her to become a doctor.” Chyler Leigh playing a doctor – hmm, that sounds sort of familiar, doesn’t it?

Male characters do exist on Supergirl. Casting announcements to date are David Harewood as Hank Henshaw. Hank runs the Department of Extra-Normal Operations (DEO), which tracks extraterrestrial threats on the planet Earth. Fans of the comics will also know that Hank Henshaw is known as Cyborg Superman. Mehcad Brooks will play Jimmy Olsen, who in this series is a photographer at CatCo.

Scheduled for the pilot episode (at least) is Dean Cain, who played Superman in the 1990s TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman. I had a major crush on Dean Cain when he was Superman (or maybe it was Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane – the memory is a bit blurry) so I’m eager to see what he’ll end up doing on the show.

Also scheduled in the pilot is Helen Slater, who played Supergirl in the 1984 film Supergirl. Cain and Slater’s parts are described only as “mystery roles.”

So far I haven’t seen any announcements as to who will play the villains, bad guys, and crooks with lead-lined boxes full of kryptonite who want to bring down Supergirl.

I’m super excited about the main female cast. What do you think?