The team behind “Supergirl,” which stars actress Melissa Benoist, 27, as the title hero, met the press on Monday at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour, where producers noted the CBS drama would be inspired by Richard Donner’s “Superman” films — and feature a new roster of DC Universe characters.

    Born on the planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El managed to escape the planet’s destruction. Since arriving on Earth, she has been hiding the powers she shares with her famous cousin. But now, at age 24, she has decided to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.

    Executive producer Greg Berlanti noted that he grew up “worshipping” Donner’s films, which starred Christopher Reeve as Superman, and hoped that his CBS rookie would capture the same magic, joy, wonder and fun, though Supergirl’s male counterpart is not currently slated to appear in the series.

    Benoist recalled auditioning for the role the day after Halloween and said that from the first time she saw “Supergirl” pop up in her email, she knew she wanted to be part of it. The “Glee” alumnus was the first actress producers saw for the role.

    Co-star Calista Flockhart, who plays Kara’s CatCo boss, called the series a “celebration of girl power” and called “Supergirl” a show that mothers and daughters can watch together.

    “Supergirl” debuts on October 26 at 8:30 p.m.(SD-Agencies)