Smallville remains one of the most beloved comic book TV shows ever made and, for many DC fans, Tom Welling is their Man of Steel and Michael Rosenbaum is the Lex Luthor.
The series had a lengthy run, kicking off in 2001 before wrapping up in 2011 following a memorable 10 seasons (which somehow didn't see Clark Kent take flight and suit up until the final episode). Still, fans were left eager for more and eventually got a comic book sequel detailing the hero's early adventures as Superman.
Welling and Rosenbaum have spent years teasing plans for an animated revival and, in an interview with Screen Rant, the actor confirmed the project's fate remains in the hands of Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios.
"I'll tell you where it's at: We need Warner Bros. and DC to let us do it," Welling admitted. "We've got Al [Gough] and Miles [Millar,] who are very busy doing a TV show called Wednesday. But they created Smallville, they want to write it. We just need to go ahead from DC and Warner Bros."
"Listen, this is a passion project. It's not going to be a blockbuster, it's for the fans," he added. "All the actors want to do the voices of the characters - we're all in. We just need them to let us use the property."
It's a neat idea but one that doesn't seem overly realistic. While we know James Gunn is open to making "Elseworlds" projects, it doesn't sound like this animated revival has gone beyond the idea stage. There's no script for a pilot and no animation studio involved, though there likely won't be until DC Studios allows Welling and Rosenbaum to make an official pitch.
As of now, it seems they're primarily pitching the Smallville sequel to fans in a bid to increase interest but until something more concrete happens, the whole thing might be wishful thinking.
Still, My Adventures with Superman has been a hit so there may well be room for another animated series which connects to a show we'd imagine does some pretty solid streaming numbers for Warner Bros. Discovery.
We also recently spoke to Welling and asked if he'd like to wear Superman's iconic suit in a future live-action project.
"You know, I think now because of the two boys that I have with my lovely wife...we have a bunch of costumes at home," he tells us in the video below. "It started out at the first Halloween and now we have, I don't know, 40 or 50 costumes. The one costume we don't have is the Superman costume."
"I asked my son why and he said, 'Because he's taken' and I said, 'By who?' 'By [you].' That was like, 'Alright, I think I'm open to the idea now.' So, if you know anybody, I think it would be great. I think it would be fun to be part of."
Stay tuned for updates.