There’s good news on the horizon for fans of Supergirl (at least for those who also follow Arrow or The Flash.) Executive Producer Greg Berlanti spoke out this week to talk about CBS’s upcoming drama and he let the cat out of the bag that Supergirl might be a part of the same world as Arrow and The Flash’s teams. Seriously.
This week, Berlanti was profiled in EW’s magazine edition. Buried in the article was a throwaway passage about Berlanti meeting with Supergirl producer Ali Adler to discuss CBS’ upcoming show. Here’s what EW notes:
“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.”
Obviously, none of this is locked in stone, yet. In fact, Supergirl is only in the early stages of coming together, having just revealed early casting information about lead character Kara Zor-El, a.k.a. Kara Danvers, and her sister Alexandra “Alex” Danvers just last month. However, it’s clear that Berlanti has already thought about the logistics involved with intersecting Supergirl with the two CW properties.
DC Comics has created a remarkably complex web of comic stories, franchises and characters. Outside of the comics, the stories remain complex, with a series of contracts and timelines that define how different stories are or are not able to cross over onscreen. This is how we have ended up with a separate Flash on the big screen. It’s also how The Flash and Arrow are able to cross over while Gotham does not. But what really helps Supergirl (that doesn’t help Gotham) is the show is being set up at CBS.
CBS and The CW are basically sister networks, since CBS has a stake in the CW. Theoretically, that makes the logistics easier than referencing, say, Arrow in Gotham, since the latter airs over at Fox. Additionally, Berlanti helped to develop both Arrow and The Flash, serving as the co-creator on both shows. He is also the person that pitched Supergirl late this past summer. If Supergirl does end up nodding at—or even showing up on either of the CW’s superhero dramas—Berlanti would be the person to get the deal done.
CBS’ upcoming Supergirl series has had a remarkably quick trajectory. Just a few short weeks after being announced, the network stated that Supergirl had nabbed a series commitment. While it could still be a while before we find out who is cast, much less see footage from the upcoming series, it’s good to know Berlanti’s brain is already churning out numerous possibilities.
