Smallville ended in 2011 after 10 seasons and 217 episodes; the series had a good run and, while those later seasons proved hit-or-miss, there was still plenty to love about the long-running DC TV series.
DC Comics continued the story of Tom Welling's Superman in a "season 11" comic book series, but in terms of a true sequel, there have been rumblings about him and Lex Luthor actor Michael Rosenbaum developing some sort of animated follow-up with the original cast and creators.
Talking to Screen Rant about those plans, Rosenbaum said, "All I could share is that it's a great idea. We have Al and Miles, 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. We had the strike, we had a change of executives at DC - one being one of my best friends in the world, James Gunn."
"When the time's right, I think it's something that's a no brainer, unless they have other ideas. We'd like to do it - the whole cast would like to do it," the actor continued. "They would voice their own character from the show, and we have a concept of what the show is."
"I asked Tom the other day, 'If Al and Miles came to us and said, 'We got this great idea for a Smallville movie. We want you guys to get in shape for the next two months, and then we're going to go shoot this movie like a real finale...' We were both like, 'Yeah!' If it was right, I think that would be dope. So many other shows are doing that. I would certainly consider it."
Rosenbaum went on to say, "But if Al and Miles did it, and wanted to do a one and half hour movie, I think Tom and I - we'd all consider it. I think we'd have fun going back, but we'd have to really work to get back into those characters in that mindset because we're a lot older. But if you shaved my head and you put makeup on me, it still works!"
While a Smallville revival would be welcomed by many fans, it seems unlikely that Warner Bros. Discovery or DC Studios would be open to spending money on resurrecting a show which has been off our screens for close to a decade and a half.
Plus, would Welling be willing to finally wear the Superman suit? He largely avoided it in the series finale, but for what it's worth, Rosenbaum is open to shaving his head again!
"For sure!" he tells the site. "Look, I probably wouldn't play Lex again unless James had offered me Lex Luthor. Of course, I would have taken Lex Luthor [for the new Superman movie.] But he didn't, which is fine, and Nicholas Hoult was just on the podcast. I love him, I finally met him and he came over the house. He's such a great actor, and I have no doubt that he will be fantastic as Lex."
We can't fault the actor's enthusiasm, but this long-discussed Smallville sequel clearly isn't even close to receiving a green light. It's good to know that all the key players are willing, of course, and stranger things have happened over the years...