Modern superhero TV series have really raised the bar when it comes to the actors playing the central roles. (Is there anyone better suited for Arrow than Stephen Amell?) CBS and Greg Berlanti’s upcoming Supergirl series has some big boots to fill, since we haven’t had a female-fronted superhero show since the instantly forgettable Birds of Prey in 2002. Could former Hollyoaks star Gemma Atkinson be the one to step into them?
That’s the latest rumor floating around the Internet, as the British tabloid The Sun says that the U.K. actress is “waiting to hear whether she has been cast” for the role of 24-year-old Kara Zor-El. Atkinson apparently auditioned for the role recently, and the Sun’s sources say she is a big comic book fan and that Supergirl is just the kind of show she’d easily latch onto. I’m pretty sure any actress would be interested in the instant stardom that this series would provide.
Atkinson isn’t the only one up for the job, of course. It was reported recently that Vampire Diaries actress Claire Holt was in the running for the lead role. But then it came out that Holt’s work on The Originals and the upcoming NBC project Aquarius would probably give the actress too much to do, leaving her unable to take on what will presumably be a high profile role.
Supergirl isn’t the only possible job on Atkinson’s slate, either. She’s also vying for a role on the long-running British soap opera Emmerdale, and news of that part is a tad stronger than a news report coming from a notoriously unreliable source as The Sun. Still, it’s an interesting thing to ponder.
Getting her break as Lisa on Hollyoaks and In the City, Atkinson’s TV career was bolstered last year when she joined the long-running medical drama Casualty. Her feature work has been relegated to mostly indie fare, and last year saw her in Renny Harlin’s found footage thriller Devil’s Pass. She also played Barbara in Samuel Victor’s Night of the Living 3D Dead, but I’m not sure if that movie even got released. Let’s hope Supergirl is a tad more professional looking than this teaser trailer.
Supergirl does have two female leads, as Kara’s secret government agent foster sister Alex will also be a major part in the story. Why isn’t anyone talking about her casting yet? Beyond that, the series will also be focusing on other Superman characters like Cat Grant, Jimmy Olsen, Hank Henshaw and Winslow Schott.
Do you guys think Gemma Atkinson would be a good fit for this heroic series?
