The Supergirl show for CBS has been casting people left and right, but none of the people cast were for the titular role of Supergirl, until now. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Glee and Whiplash actress Melissa Benoist is set to play Kara Zor-El.

The show will center around Benoist as Kara Zor-El after she escapes her home of Krypton as it explodes and has a new life on Earth. She will be taken in by the Danver family who teach her to be very careful with her new powers.

Now in her mid-20s, Kara has spent much of her time repressing those abilities but she still doesn't know herself. A disaster forces her to use her powers in public and she feels good about it and for the first time since coming to Earth, she embraces her super-powers.

Melissa Benoist is known for her roll in Glee, which she joined in season four as one of the new students, after the previous graduated.

What do you think about this casting? How will she do as Kara Zor-El?

Not even all that hot .-.

Meh, I wasn't planning on watching this anyway.

Don't know anything about her but I see nothing wrong with this choice, let's hope the show is good and can live up to Supergirl.

Only seen her in Whiplash and she had a pretty small role in that, but cool either way

It's nice to see that the first comment on this proves that the internet isn't full of scumbags. /s

They haven't really gone wrong in the casting department yet. I never watched Glee but she was ok in Whiplash, she didn't have thaat much to do. Hopefully this show connects to DCWverse so we can have the Trinity already.

She's cute. I liked her in Glee. Haven't seen her in anything other than Glee, though, which isn't exactly known for its great writing. But she was one of the few characters I didn't hate.

She has a very modest beauty about her. Wonder if she'll go blonde for the show or if she'll stay a brunette.

@amazingwebhead

Didn't watch Glee or anything like that so I don't really have an opinion on the casting...

Haven't seen her in anything yet but I'm keeping an open mind about it. Can't wait till the show starts airing.

I don't know her but thank god it isn't that girl from Hollyoaks

Definitely unexpected, but interesting. Despite all the hate she got in Glee, I found her endearing. The timing of her introduction just wasn't great.

I do hope she goes blonde for the role. I'm willing to bet she can pull it off. And it'd be weird to see a brunette Supergirl.

This.

^^^^^^

She looks like a poor man's Anna Kendrick.

Never seen her in anything before, but that smile for some reason screams supergirl to me.

She looks like she could pull it off. No point in casting someone who's hot but can't act her way out of a paper bag. I hope folks understand that.

Now we wait for the news that I have been casted as Nightwing.

Not a bad casting choice but she seems more suitable as starfire in Titans

She dyed to blond, I think she got the Kara look.

I was hoping Claire Holt would get the role (Rebecca Mikaelson from the Vamipire Diaries and Originals). I don't know anything about her, but i am hoping she owns the role and there is a crossover with Arrow and Flash...as rumored.

@transformers1024: There is more to Supergirl than just here looks. I think you must be blind though.

She looks the part now we just need to see her blonde and in costume.

I looked her up and saw a few pics of her sporting a wrist tattoo. Not that I have a problem with that, but I don't think kryptonians can even get tattoos... Just saying...

A Supergirl show without Superman. Hmmm...Not going to work. Unless, they make it an alternate reality, which Superman doesn't exist.

I like her and she's pretty. Withholding my opinion of her as Supergirl until I see more.

She looks good to me!

@the_impersonator: Batgirl has her own solo title where Batman hardly appears. They can make these characters their own without just being inferior female versions of male characters

Well...she's def got a super smile.

She's fine!

@justthatkid: that's been bothering me as well. Barry Allen twice (tv/movie), aquaman, green arrow kinda. Look doesn't really matter if acting is solid. But how hard is it to find a good blond actor?

That's a lot of comic book actors in Whiplash. Her Rooney Mara/Social Network-esque role in Whiplash didn't impress me much...probably only because Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons were TOO good

@the_stegman yeah same here. She looks alright, btw who is that cute little emo chick in your avatar? Reminds me of the girl from Coffin Hill lol

My thoughts exactly. Indeed, I'd imagine she'd be blond though these days it's not like DC and Marvel aren't open to the idea of not being exactly like the comic book versions.

@transformers1024: So your criteria for if a show will be good or not is based on the attraction level of an actor?

@thecannon: Yeah, I'm here.

At first I thought she looked just a little too old, then I checked Google images and saw that it's just the makeup.

I guess I could see it, but what bugs me is that the OP seems to be saying she has a Superman-free origin, so they're just getting rid of their quasi-father/daughter relationship.

AWESOME!

And I love how people write something off without watching or giving it a try. HAPPENS EVERY TIME.

~MiB

So,smallville. buT it won't take 10 years before we actually see her become supergirl.

Couldnt be happier with the casting. She was so lovely in Whiplash.

I assumed and feared that theyd go with a LA supermodel/pornstar type. Definitely relieved.

The blonde complaint is ridiculous. Evans? Hemsworth? Emma Stone? Besides, she's already dyed it.

Eh... Not really someone to hoop and holla over. Wanted Gemma Atkinson :(

Never really seen her anything so I can't judge

I am getting MAJOR Power Girl vibes from this... In fact it would not surprise me at all if this was a Power Girl show in all but name and they just threw the Supergirl name on it for brand recognition

I'm pretty sure the studio will find some way to cover up tattoos.

Never heard of her but she's cute and the summary sounds pretty good. They didn't make a crap load of unnecessary changes. I wish DC would get their s**t together and cast their movies as well as their shows.

Is there seriously a lack of blonde actresses in Hollywood?

Meh. I don't really care that much about Supergirl as a character to begin with so the writing and acting has to be top notch for me. Hopefully she has the chops to pull it off.

Good choice! I can't wait for the show to start.

Never watched Glee and have no clue what Whiplash is but Amell and Gustin have both done well so here's hoping the streak continues.

The description of the series here (Comicvine) differs a bit from what I've seen on other sites that say she's purposely suppressed her powers even though her cousin (aka Superman) is active.

Personally I'd prefer that Superman not exist in this iteration and Kara is the "last survivor" (which won't last long I'm sure) of Krypton rather than Kal and thus the world comes to terms with an alien hero through her rather than already accepting Kal. Makes for a nice twist on the canon and plays better into Arrow and Flash should these shows become connected, which they should be but unfortunately it doesn't look like we'll see Kara start on either of them in a guest appearance first and gain inspiration for her own superhero identity (would have been great and my vote would have gone to a Flash appearance to gain inspiration from Barry rather than Oliver).

Keeping Kal out of the origin also allows the show, which I'm assuming will have a college element harkening back to the 70's iteration of the character but likely attending Metropolis University, to introduce a young Jonathan Kent and Martha Clark as friends of Kara as well as a child Kal that can become a recurring character. Personally think it would be a cool reversal to have Kal be a "Superboy" whose arrival is a major arc of a season before being adopted by a newly married Jonathan and Martha and moving to Smallville. Thus Superman is inspired by Supergirl vice the other way around.

As for her eventual Supergirl attire....I'm sure there will be a huge outpouring for a traditional skirt look but personally I really like the way Supergirl is drawn in the Smallville Season 11 comics. Some will argue a bit too Matrix but I think with a bright color pallete (vice the darker tones of the Smallville comic) and more yellow the attire would visual fit far better into the universe ideals already created by the Arrow and Flash series while still letting Benoist's beauty and physique stand out without resorting to a mini-skirt or open chest designs.