Smallville Star Provides “Optimistic” Update on Animated Sequel Series With Original Cast Returning

It seems that things might be headed in a positive direction for the potential Smallville reunion—something that’s been in the creative pipeline for a few years now. And while that animated reunion hasn’t officially been greenlit, Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum are still feeling good about the direction that the project could go, even as Warner Bros. and Paramount come out on the other side of the acquisition by Skydance, leaving the IP in a nebulous state of limbo, especially as James Gunn and Peter Safran have already laid out their decade-long plan for the DCU.

Speaking with ScreenRant about his hopes for the project, as well as what the merger might mean for it and whether or not former cast members are even willing to return, Welling said, “It was an uphill battle before the whole merger thing, and I don’t pretend to understand any of that. But I think this is a labor of love for the fans. The idea would be that it would be animated, but all the original cast members would voice their characters, and every cast member we’ve talked to has been like, ‘That would be awesome. Let’s do it.’”

The Only Thing Left for the Animated Smallville Series is the Official Greenlight from Gunn

“We have some early renderings from an artist; we have a poster for it already that, obviously, we can’t share, but the actual answer is Warner Bros. has to give us the green light. They have to let us use their IP, and that just hasn’t happened yet. But we’re still fighting. Yeah, we’re optimistic about it,” Welling went on to say about where things stand with the revival, detailing that much of the heavy lifting for the series has already been done, and that everyone involved is really excited about the possibilities.

Years ago, series creators Al Gough and Miles Millar wrote a “spectacular” pitch, according to Rosenbaum, and they were simply waiting for the right time to send it up the channels at Warner Bros. But now, the actor doubts whether Gunn would let the project move forward, given the timeline confusion it might add to the universe. “Right now—I won’t say anything, but—I feel like James and that world, they have all their ideas of what they’re doing, and I’m not sure Smallville is part of that equation,” he elaborated. While the rumors of the animated series have been swirling for years, and fans have stayed strapped in for the rollercoaster that’s been getting their hopes up for it, it does seem that Gunn and Safran have a very distinct vision for the future of the DCU—one that might not include a reintroduction to Smallville. But Welling, in particular, is still holding out hope that the series will see the light of day.

Adding what he hopes for for the start of the series, should it be picked up, the actor said, “Al and Miles have very much said that they’d be on board. In my mind, it would pick up relatively quickly after Smallville ended, and we would do our own spin on what happens after that. That’s my idea. Whether that’s the case, I don’t know.”

25 Years Ago, The WB Started the Longest Live-Action Superman Story Ever Told (& It Took 10 Years to Finally Put Him in the Suit)