Tom Welling Confirms Returning Cast For Smallville Sequel Series With Notable Exception
Now, another popular series is set to make a triumphantly animated return, as Tom Welling confirms the returning cast of Smallville’s sequel series sans one notable exception.
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Hollywood has had some surprising success with animated series lately. Marvel’s What If series on Disney+ proved not to be just another niche animated series for hardcore fans of the beloved comic, but a segue to bring animated content to their mainstream fanbase. Similarly, the lucrative Star Trek franchise proved animation’s success with the addition of two animated shows to the franchise via Lower Deck and Prodigy. Now, another popular series is set to make a triumphantly animated return, as Tom Welling confirms the returning cast of Smallville’s sequel series sans one notable exception.
Clark Kent will officially return to Smallville for an upcoming animated series. The actor behind the hit show, Tom Welling, confirmed the news last summer on a now-deleted cameo appearance shared to Twitter. Speaking recently about the project at a panel for Fan Expo Vancouver, Welling shared some exciting updates on the Superman-based animation. As for discussing potential returning characters, Welling seemed hopeful to get most of the beloved show’s headliners back to voice the characters.
However, Tom Welling also mentioned his former co-star, Allison Mack, who is currently serving prison time after pleading guilty to charges of racketeering and conspiracy surrounding her previous involvement in a cult group known as Nxivm. While stating his hopes that the previous cast would all return, Tom Welling said, “It might be tough to get Allison.” Indeed, it seems unlikely that she’ll be able to join the sequel series. He soon moved on though. Welling noted that the cartoon will pick up right where the series ended while also hinting that it will be a part of the DC extended multiverse. Read part of his full statement below:
But even Sam Jones III [who played Pete Ross] and Lionel Luthor is going to be a big part of that. 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.
Tom Welling
Smallville, first aired on The WB (now CW) in 2001. Starring Tom Welling as a young Clark Kent, the series told a coming-of-age tale surrounding DC Comic’s Superman character. Set in Kent’s fictional hometown of Smallville, Kansas the hit teen series depicted Kent alongside his on-again-off-again girlfriend Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) his complicated friendship with future nemesis Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), and his career in later seasons alongside Lois Lane (Erica Durance). The show was considered a tremendous hit for the network throughout its ten years on the air. Furthermore, Smallville was pivotal in paving the way for the success the comic TV genre has succumbed to through The CW’s Arrowverse— which likely wouldn’t exist today if not for the success of Smallville.
While Tom Welling has revealed that the animated series will involve Smallville’s original creators Al Gough and Miles Millar, there has been no network confirmation at this time. Currently, both men are filming another animated film, Monster High. During the Vancouver panel, Welling also mentioned the writers and producers were busy making “Tim Burton-like movies.”
Now at 44-years-old, it sort of makes sense why Tom Welling would not want to reprise the younger Clark Kent role in live-action. Similarly, the notion points to just why so many Hollywood vets are looking at animation as an alternative for large production television series. For one, that technological advancement in animation has made it easier to draw in wider audiences through visual effects some studios could only dream of making realistic through CGI. Secondly, the elasticity of only needing celebrities to lend their voice, not their entire body, to a project makes it desirable for many actors and actresses.
As news on the animated Smallville series continues to unravel, the question remains where exactly the series will be distributed. Given that it will be animated, HBO max seems like the likely landing place over The CW. Similarly, with The CW currently being up for sale by Warner Media, it’s unlikely they would place to series there. With obvious passion behind the returning role, we are sure Tom Welling will be quick to share updates with his fandom whenever he can.
