Smallville's Erica Durance To Appear in The CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths

Following on the heels of yesterday's news that Tom Welling will reprise his role as Clark Kent from this smash-hit series Smallville in the upcoming "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover, The CW today announced that Erica Durance's take on Lois Lane, who appeared opposite Welling's Superman, will also appear in the crossover event. Durance, who joined Smallville in its fourth season and became a fixture in both the series and in the life of Clark Kent almost immediately, is a fan-favorite, and the audience started asking about her (as well as Smallville's Lex Luthor, Michael Rosenbaum) from the moment Welling was announced officially.

Little is known about Durance's role in the crossover, although The CW confirms that she will appear across multiple episodes, which is language they did not use with Welling's casting. He was characterized as a guest star, but no duration was specified. Whether that means she will appear in episodes that do not star her on-screen husband is anybody's guess.

Durance's Lois will, like Welling, explore the experiences that the character has had in the decade since we last saw her at the end of Smallville. Durance is the second Lois Lane to be cast in "Crisis on Infinite Earths," following Bitsie Tulloch, who plays Lois Lane on Supergirl opposite Tyler Hoechlin's Superman. When Tulloch and Hoechlin appeared in the "Elseworlds" crossover last season, the pair were working on the Kent Farm -- which was not only the same building used for the farm on Smallville, but was introduced with an establishing shot that used Smallville's theme song.

"For eight years, Arrow has stood on the shoulders of Smallville," producer Marc Guggenheim said yesterday when Welling's casting was announced. "Simply put, there would be no Arrow, and no Arrowverse, without it."

Plot details for The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" -- which is being showrun by Guggenheim -- are still fairly sketchy, outside of the fact that Oliver Queen and Barry Allen have both been prophesied to die. Still, it is likely we will start to get more details -- especially as casting is concerned -- as we draw closer to the crossover going into production, which is likely to happen in October.

In the comics, Crisis on Infinite Earths centered on a battle between the combined superheroes (and even some villains) of the DC multiverse and an immortal, cosmic threat known as the Anti-Monitor. Like The Monitor, the Anti-Monitor will be played by LaMonica Garrett in the Arrowverse. As the Anti-Monitor destroys realities, he replaces their positive matter energy with antimatter, growing his own power and sphere of influence. He was eventually stopped by the sacrifices of several heroes, including The Flash and Supergirl, as well as the merging of multiple universes to save reality by becoming a single, unified timeline. Fans have long wondered whether the events of "Crisis on Infinite Earths" might bring Supergirl and even Black Lightning to Earth-1, where the rest of the series take place. The crossover will also feature guest appearances by Johnathon Schaech as Jonah Hex, Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne, and Brandon Routh as Superman.

"Crisis on Infinite Earths" will air on The CW this winter, taking place on five episodes of TV over two quarters -- one each of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Are you excited for the Crisis? Chime in below or tweet your thoughts to @russburlingame.