‘Smallville’ Sequel Series Hits a Wall at Warner Bros.

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The highly anticipated sequel to ‘Smallville’ as an animated series appears to be delayed significantly. Development of the project seems to have stopped, and recent changes at Warner Bros. and DC Studios may be responsible. With fresh leadership in place, attention has been diverted elsewhere, temporarily halting progress on this popular concept.

Alfred Gough, the co-creator of ‘Smallville’ alongside Miles Millar, shared some enlightening thoughts during an interview on the Talk Ville Podcast, which is hosted by stars Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum. He emphasized that production companies often encounter challenges when there are changes in leadership, and Warner Bros. has experienced this as well, particularly given their recent plans to re-introduce Superman with a new interpretation.

Gough believes the reason their sequel has been delayed is because the production team is planning another Superman reboot, which, unfortunately, seems to have postponed our project temporarily. This is quite challenging for a project that’s already been under development for some time.

If you’re unfamiliar, ‘Smallville’ aired from 2001 to 2011, spanning ten seasons that portrayed the early life of Clark Kent before he transformed into Superman. Tom Welling embodied Clark, while Michael Rosenbaum breathed life into Lex Luthor. Initially broadcast on The WB and later The CW, the show garnered a massive fanbase with its innovative approach to Superman’s formative years. Excitingly, an animated sequel was planned to continue the storyline from where the original series ended, with the original cast, including Welling and Rosenbaum, set to lend their voices to their characters. This development brought joy to long-term fans.

Currently, James Gunn and Peter Safran are at the helm of DC Studios. Their leadership has led to a change in direction, with the focus now on building a fresh DC Universe. The journey begins with a ‘Superman’ film by Gunn, scheduled for release in July 2025. David Corenswet will portray the renowned superhero, while Rachel Brosnahan will take up the role of Lois Lane.

For Warner Bros., this new take on Superman is significant and they seem to be aiming for maximum attention. On a podcast, Gough implied this when he mentioned that “Warner Bros. has faced quite a lot recently, and it seems that their current focus on rebooting Superman once more, unfortunately, might delay our project.” This concentration could potentially be the reason why the ‘Smallville’ sequel hasn’t been approved yet.

Even so, there’s a flicker of optimism left. Gough hinted that things often return in time, stating, “Everything eventually cycles back, I recently learned they are rebooting Buffy for Hulu.” Indeed, revivals are quite common nowadays. It’s true that “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” which aired from 1997 to 2003, is set for a fresh take on Hulu. Perhaps “Smallville” will have its chance later, when things stabilize after all these transformations.

At the moment, we’re in a pause. The idea of an ‘Smallville’ animated sequel seemed like a fantastic opportunity to reminisce about Clark, Lex, and their friends, but with Warner Bros. and DC Studios concentrating on their latest Superman, it’s stalled. I really hope it gets made one day – those characters deserve further stories. Perhaps once Gunn’s ‘Superman’ gains traction, they might reconsider it. Until then, we can rewatch the original series and listen to numerous podcast discussions about it.

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2025-03-23 21:14