Few characters in television and entertainment have had the long-lasting impact that Superman has. The Man of Steel has been a constant presence in the superhero genre, inspiring many adaptations.
As we anticipate James Gunn’s Superman movie, which will debut next summer and kick off the new DC Universe, we also prepare to say goodbye to The CW’s recent portrayal of Superman in Superman & Lois. The show will conclude after its fourth and final season.
However, none of these adaptations match the enduring popularity of Smallville, which ended more than a decade ago. Now, Erica Durance, who starred in the original series, has shared what she hopes for in a potential return as Lois Lane in a future revival series.
Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum, who played Superman and Lex Luthor, have yet to get the official go-ahead for their animated Smallville revival series. In an interview with Screen Rant, Durance, who played Superman’s love interest, shared her ideas for the future of her character.
The actor said:
“I’d love to have show where she would have gone further in her career. Whether it was for her to be a mother, how she balanced all of that. I’d like to goes a little more into her past, her experiences with her dad, and how her upbringing shaped her a little bit more and just seeing her grow into another person, a grown-up version of herself.
But I’d love to keep her complicated and full of conflict and not always doing the right thing and not always saying the right thing, because there [are] more people like that out there, I think, in the world, than the ones that seem to be super slick.”
A Revival Series is Coming Soon
Smallville was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and aired from 2001 to 2011. The show became a lasting tribute to Superman’s origins, offering a down-to-earth take on his story. It also paved the way for other superhero shows like Arrow and The Flash.
While David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult represent the future versions of Superman and Lex Luthor in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, Smallville stars Welling and Rosenbaum are working on a potential revival of their series.
“Tom and I are working on a Smallville animated series that we’re trying to get made. It’s gonna take time. But the creators of Smallville are attached, they want to be a part of it.
And we, you know, when it’s the right time, we’ll pitch it. You know, we’re working on it and we have some loose animation that we’ve worked [on] with someone who was just awesome. It looks great. So if we can get that made, that’d be awesome,” Rosenbaum said.
Superman’s next big-screen appearance will be on July 11, 2025, when he kicks off the DCU in theaters. Fans can stream all episodes of the original Smallville on Hulu. Keep an eye out for more updates on the Smallville animated series.
