“It’s not a priority for them”: Tom Welling Exposing Warner Bros’ Infuriating Move With ‘Smallville’ Animated Show Will Make Fans Revolt
- Tom Welling revealed that Warner Bros. has remained silent to the 'Smallville' animated reboot.
- Welling shared that a test animation, poster, and original cast support have already been prepared.
- The animated series could feature Lionel Luthor and other returning characters.
Warner Bros. has gone through a rough patch with the failure of their DCEU. However, with James Gunn and Peter Safran working on a new DCU, the studio is eyeing a strong comeback. But as Gunn is about to bring a new Superman to the world, it looks like a veteran Superman is getting the cold shoulder from the studio.
After his hit portrayal of Clark Kent in CW hit Smallville, Tom Welling has once again been trying to bring back the show in an animated series format. However, the response he got from Warner Bros. is not something Smallville fans would appreciate.
Warner Bros.’ Silent Treatment for Smallville
Smallville was not a typical Superman show. Unlike the usual heroic action scenes, the show showed the early life of a teenage Clark Kent before he became Superman. Fans loved how Tom Welling showed the character arc of a young, vulnerable Clark Kent to a responsible Kal-El/Superman.
However, although it was one of the most successful shows on DC Television, Warner Bros. doesn’t seem to bother much. During a recent interview with Screen Rant at Comic Con Stockholm, Welling talked about how Smallville‘s animated sequel is currently in an unproductive state.
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.
Welling further mentioned how Warner Bros. has been completely silent about their approaches. He said,
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.
Welling also revealed that a test animation and a poster were also prepared. Moreover, Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor in Smallville is also a longtime James Gunn friend. But despite all these, it seems like the sequel won’t get a green light anytime soon as DC Studios is already piled up with its projects.
Smallville‘s Animated Sequel Might Mark the Return of a Fallen Villain
Apart from the potential return of familiar characters, the animated sequel might bring a fallen villain too. Welling revealed that Lionel Luthor, who died in season 7, might play a major role in the animated series. He said to Screen Rant,
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.
Erica Durance will likely return as Lois Lane, while Rosenbaum earlier shared to Screen Rant that “the whole cast would like to do it.” This may include Kristin Kreuk, Eric Johnson, Sam Jones III, and possibly other original cast members. Rosenbaum also revealed that original Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar have shown their willingness to write for the series.
The animated format seems like a beneficial creative decision, as it will allow the show to do things that it could not do during the original run because of cost or practical issues. This animated sequel might exist within James Gunn’s new DCU as a different continuity, similar to how DC handles different versions of its characters in movies and TV.
All seasons of Smallville are available to stream on Hulu.
