Ryan Gosling knew he had something special on his hands with “Project Hail Mary.”
When it came time to promote the film, the actor did the basics. He sang its praises without hesitation, showing humility in the process. Easy to do when you’ve got a hit on your hands.
Now, compare that to the rollout for “Supergirl.”
The June 26 release stars Milly Alcock as the super-powered heroine, a film coming roughly a year after the “Superman” reboot. We’ve already been told by producer James Gunn that the main character is messy, and we don’t always allow messy female heroes in our lives.
Tell that to Harley Quinn in the Suicide Squad(s).
James Gunn on Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl film:
“[Gillespie has] a different take on Supergirl. You know, so many times female superheroes are so perfect, she’s not that at all. She’s very imperfect, like male superheroes have been allowed to be for a while.”
Does anyone know… pic.twitter.com/hc60GvZJbu
— Fandom Pulse (@fandompulse) March 29, 2026
Now, Alcock herself is promoting the film in a very odd way.
She suggested during her Vanity Fair interview that the critiques coming at her Summer release may be based on, you guessed it, the “Girl” part of Supergirl. Here’s what her time on “Game of Thrones” taught her about fandom.
“It definitely made me aware that simply existing as a woman in that space is something that people comment on,” Alcock said. “We have become very comfortable having this weird ownership of women’s bodies. I can’t really stop them. I can only be myself.”
Sound familiar? It should.
The 2016 comedy “Ghostbusters” employed a similar strategy. Yes, some longtime fans cried foul when the reboot recast the core characters as women, not men.
This came during the rise of the “gender-swap” craze, part of the woke Hollywood revolution.
The creative team behind the film, from the cast to director Paul Feig, could have been polite about the extreme makeover.
“Yes, the Ghostbusters are women now, but they’re a riot and we think you’ll love how they wrangle the ghosts in the new film. We can’t wait for you to experience it!”
How hard is that?
Instead, both the cast and the media made the reboot a culture war battle. Journalists insisted if you didn’t like the film’s terrible, no-good trailer, you were a misogynist. The cast appeared on “Ellen” with presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.
Subtle.
The finished film even included a scene where the Lady Ghostbusters deal with online trolls.
Perhaps the key players realized they had a turkey on their hands, and it was time to do some creative marketing to deflect that sad truth? Or, they figured the Victimhood Card would rally progressives to movie theaters nationwide.
Are you sure about that?
The film dramatically underperformed. Sony later re-rebooted the franchise with modest success.
The “Supergirl” rollout feels very similar. But this isn’t 2016. Movie fans smell this desperation a mile away, and it’s already building bad buzz on the project.
…and the audience just left the building. Gotta get your stars to stop talking like this. https://t.co/EH4lGxVVz5
— Joseph Kahn (@JosephKahn) March 31, 2026
She…expects a backlash for being a female…in “SuperGIRL”??? https://t.co/Jo2lBjXOnr
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) March 31, 2026
Whoever is in charge of PR for DC needs to get it through their heads that this might be messaging gold in Southern California, but this is the worst way to market your movie for most of the English speaking world. https://t.co/m8uFqvKqaH
— Jonas J. Campbell (@JonasJCampbell) March 31, 2026
The finished film might be a joy, full stop. And the film’s more modest budget means it won’t have to be a blockbuster to turn a profit.
That’s smart.
Still, the early rollout for the film does anything but express confidence in the finished product.
The post ‘Supergirl’ Adopts Insane ‘Lady Ghostbusters’ PR Push appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
