What Happened To Tom Welling & Michael Rosenbaum's Smallville Sequel Series?

Those holding out hope for the animated "Smallville" sequel series may want to temper expectations. The CW's Superman prequel series aired for 10 seasons from 2001 to 2011, giving us Tom Welling's journey as Clark Kent to the hero he was destined to become. We also got to know Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor along the way. Both actors were expected to return for a proposed sequel series, but unfortunately, it sounds like it's not going to happen any time soon.

On a recent episode of the "Talk Ville" podcast, series co-creator Alfred Gough offered an update on the status of the project. We first heard about the animated "Smallville" follow-up in 2021, but official updates have been few and far between. Gough poured some cold water on the situation, explaining that the upcoming big screen "Superman" reboot from director James Gunn is the priority for Warner Bros. right now. Here's what he had to say about it:

"I think the problem with most projects in development in any studio and/or any network is regime change. 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. Everything comes around in one form or another, I just read the other day that they are rebooting Buffy for Hulu."

James Gunn's "Superman" is not just rebooting a single franchise; it's the lynchpin of the entire reboot of the DC Universe. There is a lot riding on this movie. It's actually of paramount importance to the future of Warner Bros. as a studio. That being the case, it's unlikely the studio would want a competing project focused on the Man of Steel in development right now. So, "Smallville" fans will have to exercise some patience. 

Tom Welling suggested that things were looking good for the "Smallville" animated series in 2022. Honestly though, a lot has changed since then, including Gunn taking over as the head of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran. The CW was also purchased by Nexstar, which led to the end of the Arrowverse as we know it. "Superman & Lois" also wrapped up its run after four seasons, seemingly so that David Corenswet can be our one true live-action Superman moving forward.

"All I could share is that it's a great idea," Michael Rosenbaum said in an interview with Screen Rant about the series in 2024. "We have Al [Gough] and Miles [Millar], the creators of 'Smallville,' backing us up. When it's the right time, we'd like to go and do this: pitch to Warner Bros. It has to be the right time, and right now is not the right time."

The creators of the show previously suggested that they wouldn't want to revisit "Smallville," despite the fact that the actors have been trying to get this animated series going. As it stands, it's not something that Warner Bros. ever committed to making and they would have to sign on for it to ever move forward. Who knows? If "Superman" is a big hit, maybe they would be open to doing it as a Max exclusive. Maybe a streamer like Amazon would pay top-dollar for it, as they did with "Batman: Caped Crusader." There are options on the table.

All of this to say, the show isn't dead. After all, "Smallville" came back to life as a comic after it was canceled. Why not as an animated show, too? It's just that the timing has to be right and right now, it certainly isn't.

You can grab "Smallville: The Complete Series" on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon.