CBS’ forthcoming Supergirl series continues to flesh out its growing cast roster with the addition of two surprising – yet familiar – names. TV Line reports that Helen Slater and Dean Cain have boarded the show for what are being described as two “top secret, guest-starring roles.”
This marks the third time each actor has appeared in the Superman-Supergirl canon. Slater first made waves in the titular role for 1984’s Supergirl movie, while Cain portrayed Clark Kent on the small screen in ABC’s long-running series, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Both went on to guest star on The CW’s Superman drama Smallville; the former as Clark’s birth mother Lara, and Cain as Dr. Curtis Knox. For now, the network are keeping the details of their specific roles on Supergirl under wraps.
One thing’s for certain – they won’t be reprising their original franchise roles. Kara Zor-El/Supergirl will be played by Whiplash‘s Melissa Benoist, and earlier this week it was teased that while Superman is poised to appear, it’s thought to be a brief cameo that will most likely tackled by an extra.
Slater and Cain will also join Grey Anatomy‘s Chyler Leigh as Kara’s foster sister, Homeland‘s David Harewood as Department of Extra-Normal Operations chief Hank Henshaw, Ally McBeal star Calista Flockhart as Kara’s boss Cat Grant, Nashville‘s Laura Benanti as Kara’s mother Alura Zor-El, and Desperate Housewives‘ Mehcad Brooks as Jimmy Olsen.
Brought to the screen by Arrow and The Flash producers, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, Supergirl is expected to arrive later this year.