Summary
While James Gunn’sSupermanis set to reboot the iconic character’s live-action portrayal on the big screen in just a few short months, one beloved small-screen adaptation is still struggling to get closer to returning for an animated revival.
Supermanhas been the definitive comic book hero for decades and has seen more adaptations than most of his contemporaries. Among the many shows that brought him to the small screen, few are as well regarded as Smallville, which ran for 10 seasons and showed a younger Clark Kent slowly and dramatically growing into the Man of Steel that fans knew and loved. It was such a success that DC would pick up where the show left off with a comic book sequel, but that project predictably failed to reach and satisfy many of the same fans that supported the TV show. As such, it was an unbelievably encouraging development when the announcement that aSmallvilleanimated series was in the works with the original stars returningmade it to fans of the original show. Spearheaded by leading man Tom Welling and the show’s Lex Luthor Michael Rosenbaum, it also had the backing of Smallville’s original creators.
Since then, it’s been a waiting game for more positive news about the impending revival. The lastSmallvilleanimated series update from Welling last year wasn’t good, and a recent statement from another important person attached to the project doesn’t do much to improve that outlook for fans eager for some positive development. Speaking on an episode of the Welling-runTalk Ville Podcast on YouTube, which is co-anchored by Rosenbaum,Smallvilleco-creator Alfred Gough gave an update on the show that suggests the turbulence at the top of Warner Bros Discovery has held the show back. “That is the thing, I think the problem with most projects in development in any studio and/or any network is regime change,” he argued. “Warners has obviously gone through a lot, and I think the fact that they are in the process of rebooting Superman again, kind of unfortunately, I think, keeps our thing off the table for a bit,” Gough added. “Everything comes around in one form or another, I just read the other day that they are rebooting Buffy for Hulu.”
Unfortunately for fans, it really does sound like the disorganization at WBD is stifling the project’s timely approval. Beyond that, the idea seems almost too good to pass up for the company. If the animated series can stay true to the approach that made the original show great, includingSmallville’smemorably slow burn concerning Clark becoming Superman, then it’s all but guaranteed to be both a success and a long-running project. With this potential, it could tell tons of poignant stories, help consolidate a new generation ofSupermanfans beyond the cinemas, and even potentially be a financial win for the brand thanks to the easy path to merchandising that animation provides. It’s hard to argue that this isn’t something that WBD would give a green light, as seen with theHarley Quinnshow surviving the turmoil at the company and even getting renewed again. With pretty much the entire original ensemble willing to come back to work on the animated sequel as a passion project, there’s hardly a better offer that the company could receive.
There’s clearly still fan demand for more of the show’s special charm, withJames Gunn’sSupermaneven recently getting theSmallvilletreatmentthanks to that very demand. It’s clear that the timing is a bit unfortunate for the planned sequel project at WBD, but fans can still keep their fingers crossed that they’ll get their wishes granted like theBuffy the Vampire Slayerfandom did. With any luck, they won’t have to wait as long as that franchise did to get the green light on a return to the air.
