Huge CW Show Being Revived, But With a Twist

The Superman prequel series Smallville might get a revival, even as The CW's Superman & Lois [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

The Superman prequel series Smallville might get a revival, even as The CW's Superman & Lois continues. Tom Welling, who starred as Clark Kent and Superman in the beloved series and returned in the Crisis on Infinite Earths Arrowverse crossover, hinted that he and Michael Rosenbaum are working on an animated series set in the Smallville universe. Rosenbaum starred as Lex Luthor on Smallville, which ran on The WB and The CW from 2001 to 2011.

On June 23, a Smallville fan shared the Cameo recording they received from Welling. "Maybe there's a Smallville marathon coming your way," Welling said in the clip, reports Comic Book. "Michael Rosenbaum and I are actually working on an animated series to bring those characters back to life and use as many of the original cast members as possible. Don't tell anybody though, it's a secret, we're still working on it."

Welling did not share any further details on the project, and there has been no previous reporting on it. It is also not clear what "marathon" he is referring to. Fans can always have their own Smallville marathon if they have a Hulu subscription since all 10 seasons are available to stream there.

Smallville remains one of the most successful DC Comics-based TV series. It tells the story of Clark Kent before he became Superman, with the first four seasons focusing on his life in high school and relationship with Lana Lang, played by Kristin Kreuk. Later, Lois Lane (Erica Durance) was introduced, as well as many other DC Comics characters. After the show's 10 seasons wrapped, DC Comics continued with the story with a comics series.

Welling and Durance later appeared in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover that aired in 2019 and 2020. Their scene featured Supergirl's Lex (Jon Cryer) trying to kill Smallville's Clark with kryptonite. However, the kryptonite did not do anything to Clark, since he gave up his powers. This leaves Lex confused, but Clark explained that he has a child now, and a family will always be more important than his powers.

Rosenbaum was missing in the Crisis crossover, even as dozens of other actors with DC Comics ties agreed to star. In September 2019, Rosenbaum said he turned down Warner Bros. Television because they didn't send him a script and he had no idea how much he would be doing. He said they called his agents while he was in Florida to visit his grandfather at a nursing home. At the time, they needed an answer immediately, so his first response was no. "My simple answer was 'pass,'" he wrote at the time. "I think you can understand why. I hope this answers all your questions."

PopCulture.com editors choose the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. PopCulture nor ViacomCBS are responsible for prices subject to change.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of