As the nascentSmallvilleanimated series proved, there are plenty of projects in Hollywood that could easily be interpreted as a fever dream, particularly when the only proof of their existence is a single, unceremonious announcement with little to no follow-up in subsequent months or even years. Not every big, legendary tease can end up likeFinal Fantasy VII Remakeor the surprisingly goodSonic the Hedgehogmovie. Sometimes, they turn out to just be dust in the wind, or worse,Aliens: Colonial Marines.
On that note, remembertheSmallvilleanimated seriesannounced by Tom Welling (Clark Kent onSmallville) last year and then never spoken of again? Well, it’s been spoken of again. Welling just confirmed the existence of the project during a recent panel appearance at Fan Expo Vancouver, even going a step further to detail some of their plans going forward. Appearing alongside Erica Durance, who played Lois Lane, he spoke about returning cast members and writers. But he probably caught quite a few people off-guard with the mention of one name in particular.
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“We’re working on an animated series that picks up right after ourSmallvilleand, again, telling our own story and our vision is that we get Erica,” Welling explained, before jokingly adding, “It might be tough to get Allison.” Durance reacted to this with her own jab, saying, “We have Zoom.” Those who have kept up with certain news about formerSmallvillestars will likely understand that he’s referring to Allison Mack, who played Chloe Sullivan on the show. Mack is currently serving prison time for her involvement in an actual real cult known as NXIVM, which dealt in racketeering and sex trafficking, among other similarly charming business ventures. So any chance of herreturning to aSmallvilleprojectis about as likely as someone not getting enough fries at Five Guys.
“But even [Pete Ross actor] Sam Jones III and Lionel Luthor is going to be a big part of that,” Welling continued. “John Glover wants to do it, we’ve already been into this. We’ve already gotten animation, we just don’t have the stories yet because Al and Miles are busy doing Tim Burton-like movies. As soon as they are done with that, we’re going to do this. I want to be Clark’s voice, I want Erica to be Lois' voice, that’s going to be the fun of it. I think there’s a story that Al and Miles are going to tell that’s individual and new and call it a multiverse thing. But let’s see where it goes, and it’ll be fun so yeah.”
“Al and Miles” likely refers toSmallvillewriters Al Gough and Miles Millar, who are currently working onTim Burton’sWednesdayfor Netflix as anAddams Familyspinoff. Can’t get much more “Tim Burton-like” than that. But the idea that they’ll possibly be going for a multiverse idea with the story definitely feels like a push to keep things relevant in this current movie climate of alternate realities for everyone. That’s not to say it’s a bad idea, of course. Just that it makes sense.
Knowing how driven Welling is, as well as who else seems to be involved, really helps keep the anticipation high for this upcoming continuation. After seeing theSmallvilleversions of Clark and Lois in theCW’s ambitious “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event, it just made the idea of more stories in that universe all the more enticing. Here’s hoping things go smoothly from here on out, and that maybe they can find a good Chloe soundalike voice actress.
