Tom Welling Confirms Animated Smallville Spinoff Series Is In Development

The success of The CW’s Superman & Lois has got DC fans nostalgic for Smallville, the network’s original teen-flavored Superman show. Though it ran for 10 seasons from 2001-2011 – it’s still the longest-running comic book TV series ever – the prequel stopped short of exploring Clark Kent’s career as the Man of Steel. With Tom Welling infamously against wearing the classic suit in live-action, the best chance of a revival lies in the medium of animation. And the good news is this is something Welling is working on.

Welling and his former co-star and good pal Michael Rosenbaum – who played Clark’s best friend-turned-nemesis Lex Luthor – have spoken several times now about their wish to get an animated Smallville series off the ground. Just last month, for instance, Rosenbaum confirmed this was still in development. Now, Welling has made clear the duo are doing all they can to make it happen. Speaking in a Cameo video to a fan (as shared publicly on Instagram), the actor said:

“Maybe there’s a Smallville marathon coming your way. Michael Rosenbaum and I are actually working on an animated series to bring those characters back to life and use as many original cast members as possible. Don’t tell anybody though, it’s a secret that we’re working on.”

A Smallville animation that’s guaranteed to have both Welling and Rosenbaum involved, and probably a range of other stars from the show’s original run too? Take our money now! In all seriousness, though, this would no doubt be a hugely lucrative project to make, given both the popular IP and the current boom for superhero animation. It’s unclear if the pair actually have any official backing on this concept yet, but if they don’t, then why the heck not?

Welling reprised his Clark, alongside Erica Durance as Lois Lane, for a cameo in “Crisis on Infinite Earths” in 2019. He’s also recently shown an interest in playing the Superman of The Batman‘s Earth, seeing as he’s friends with Robert Pattinson. There’s a strong sense that we’ve not seen the last of Welling’s Kal-El, then, with a return to the world of Smallville becoming more and more likely.