As a movie reviewer with over two decades of watching Superheroes grace our screens, I must say that the ongoing saga of the revival of Smallville has been as captivating as any blockbuster film itself. After growing up with Tom Welling‘s Clark Kent and Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor on our television screens for ten seasons, it is only natural that we fans yearn for more adventures in their Smallville universe.
After numerous years of hinting at a follow-up to the much-loved TV series “Smallville”, lead actor Tom Welling has shed light on what’s delaying the production of the animated sequel. Debuting in October 2001 on The WB, “Smallville” rejuvenated the Superman franchise for a new audience. Over the course of ten seasons, it shifted from The WB to The CW, wrapping up its run in May 2011. Although “Smallville” concluded, the franchise lived on through a comic book series titled “Smallville: Season Eleven”, which ran from 2012 to 2015 and introduced alternate versions of characters like Batman and Wonder Woman. In 2021, Welling announced that he and fellow cast member Michael Rosenbaum, who portrayed Lex Luthor, had been secretly developing an animated reboot.
For three years now, there have been many hints about a potential comeback, yet no actual advancements or formal announcements have emerged from DC. In an interview with Screen Rant, Welling shared some news, stating that Warner Bros. has not yet given the project the go-ahead. He explained that they haven’t received any updates from the studio, implying that the project may not be high on Warner Bros.’ list of priorities. Additionally, he mentioned that they aim to involve original creators Al Gough and Miles Millar in the series development, but they are currently tied up with Netflix’s “Wednesday” production. Welling concluded by saying:
“We want it to work. The honest answer is we have not been able to get Warner Brothers to give us the thumbs up. We need their permission. We haven’t even gotten a response. It’s the weirdest thing because it is more of a fan-driven idea. It’s not going to be a blockbuster. It’s not going to be a financial windfall for any of us. We all like each other, we all like working together, and if we could do it, it’d be fun. But Warner Bros. — and I’m not hating on them — they just haven’t gotten back to us. It’s not a priority for them, It’s like a not-returning-phone-calls-thing…We want Al and Miles to write it. They’ve expressed interest, but they’re also busy working on Wednesday with Tim Burton. I think because it’s not a big financial gain for anybody, it’s getting less [priority.]”
The idea that Warner Bros. has not greenlit the Smallville revival series is odd, considering that new DC Studio head James Gunn is good friends with Michael Rosenbaum. While Smallville might not fit into Gunn’s interconnected DCU of films and animated series, he has said that Elseworlds titles would still exist, like Matt Reeves’s The Batman – Part II, and animated series including Harley Quinn and Teen Titans Go! An animated Smallville series certainly would fit into that Elseworlds brand. Welling even commented on getting Rosenbaum to show Gunn what they have so far, saying, “We joked about it. Michael says, ‘Oh, James is so busy.’ I think it’d be a fun idea. We already have the animation done. I don’t know if Michael shared it already, but we have a poster for it. It’s [with] the cast and Lionel Luthor looming behind [them.]”
Crisis for Infinite Supermen
A revival of the animated Smallville series seems like a guaranteed success, given that it’s been more than a decade since its conclusion and almost two decades since its debut. Many fans who grew up with the show are now of age to appreciate a revisit to this iconic series. Warner Bros. and DC have acknowledged the cultural significance of Smallville, as evidenced by numerous references in other Arrowverse shows. In the 2018 crossover between Supergirl, The Flash, and Arrow titled “Elseworlds,” characters Oliver Queen and Barry Allen arrived in Kara’s Earth-38 universe, where they played the Smallville theme song “Save Me” by Remy Zero. Furthermore, Tom Welling and Erica Durance, who played Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane in the original series, reprised their roles in the 2019 event “Crisis on Infinite Earths.
The biggest obstacle to an animated Smallville revival might be James Gunn’s Superman. It has already been reported that Warner Bros. wants to keep the focus on one Superman, which is one reason why the CW series Superman & Lois is ending this year, ahead of Gunn’s Superman. While Gunn and Rosenbaum might be good friends, Gunn is likely looking at the bigger scope of his new DCU, and a Smallville animated revival might cause brand confusion. However, following Superman‘s release, and once the brand is hopefully well-established, the Smallville animated revival series could become a possibility.
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-11-07 23:01