As many are waiting to learn more about the Smallville animated series, longtime DC actor Tom Welling sheds light on what’s going on with the possible revival. While the Smallville After the finale took place more than 13 years ago, the beloved Clark Kent-focused drama may be back, as Welling and his co-star Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor, are developing a pitch for an animated sequel. Even though this generated excitement in the fandom, the Smallville the sequel hasn’t been formally greenlit, and it appears the massive delay can be traced back to one of Hollywood’s biggest studios.
Screen speech I recently had the opportunity to speak with Welling during Stockholm Comic Con as he reminisced about his Smallville journey while also highlighting the Talk Ville Podcast and the upcoming Cruiseville event in 2025. After interviewing Welling for Mafia Wars earlier this fall, where he presented a report on the situation Smallville sequence, the former Superman star opened up more about what’s going on with the proposed animated seriesfor he revealed the following:
Tom Welling: We want it to work. The honest answer is that we couldn’t get Warner Brothers to give us the thumbs up. We need their permission.
Welling was asked if this means Warner Bros. Discovery is not open to revisiting Smallville or if it’s about them not responding to his and Rosenbaum’s proposal. THE Smallville lead made it clear that he has not yet received a responseas he shared his theories on the part of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Tom Welling: [Laughs] We haven’t even gotten a response yet! It’s the weirdest thing because it’s more of a fan-driven idea. It won’t be a blockbuster. It won’t be a financial windfall for any of us. We all like each other, we all like working together, and if we could do that, it would be fun. But Warner Bros. – and I’m not hating on them – they just didn’t respond to us. It’s not a priority for them. It’s like a no-return-calls thing. [laughs]
One of the great figures of Warner Bros. Discovery at the moment is DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, who is good friends with Rosenbaum, as the Smallville actor was featured in the filmmaker’s film Guardians of the Galaxy films for Marvel Studios. When suggested that Rosenbaum should contact Gunn about the Smallville revivalWelling stated:
Tom Welling: I know! We joke about it. Michael says, ‘Oh, James is so busy.’ I think it would be a fun idea. We already have the animation ready. I don’t know if Michael has shared it yet, but we have a poster for it. That’s it [with] the cast and Lionel Luthor appearing behind [them.]
Welling would not approach it as a Smallville the sequel would deal with the return of Lionel Luthor, who was killed by Lex in season 7. However, the actor highlighted that the original Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar want to be involved in the show’s return:
Tom Welling: We want Al and Miles to write. They have expressed interest, but are also busy working on Wednesday with Tim Burton. I think because it’s not a big financial gain for anyone, it’s getting less [priority.]
From what Welling revealed to Screen speech, the Smallville the animated sequence could simply be a project that will take some time before moving from concept to production. As there have been many regime changes at the studio in recent years, including the launch of DC Studios, the structure of DC IPs is undergoing a significant overhaul, which may be why a Smallville the animated show has yet to receive the green light. Once DC Studios truly enters its era, a Smallville A sequel alongside Gunn’s DC Universe could easily be more possible.
It also appears that perhaps the Smallville The season 11 comics may not be what will be used in the animated sequel. When Screen speech asked if Welling had ever taken a look at the comic book series that continued the Smallville universe after its end in 2011 and if he finds it strange to see it in comic form, he said:
“No, never read it! I signed some, but never opened them. It’s for a second and then I’ll talk to the next person! [laughs] You would think I would read them all, but I really don’t have any to read. There are times when I think, ‘Oh, I should read this,’ and then I kind of forget.”
However, Welling did not rule out the possibility of checking Smallville season 11, proposing that he and Rosenbaum might “we should do a podcast about this later. Michael and I should read it and do a podcast review!”
Time will tell if the Smallville The TV show’s sequel always moves forward, but for all the passionate fans hoping to see it come to fruition, hope is definitely not lost yet. It could simply be a matter of time, as Gunn is focusing on building his new DC Universewhile Smallville could easily fit under the Elseworlds banner in the future. We hope that, whether in the immediate or distant future, Smallville may return to the silver screen at some point.
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