Fifteen years after its finale, Smallville can still return, if its sequel project gets the backing it deserves. Smallville ended on a high note in 2011, but the show’s main cast actors are still close friends, and enthusiasm for a possible sequel remains high. Perhaps the biggest draw for fans is the chance to finally see Tom Welling’s Clark Kent don the full Superman suit in live action, a milestone the original series only teased.
Netflix’s acquisition deal for Warner Bros Discovery and a competing hostile bid from Paramount places DC’s future in a state of flux. Netflix’s bid covers major assets including the Warner Bros. film and television studios and streaming services like HBO Max. Taking into account Netflix’s success as a streaming giant, its acquisition of Warner Bros. suggests DC Studios could eventually increase its series output, both for the DCU and for Elseworlds projects.
Smallville Season 11 Deserves A Live-Action Adaptation Or Continuation
Warner Bros.’ Acquisition Could Be What Smallville Needs To Return
Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum have long expressed interest in revisiting Smallville, but changes in studio leadership have stalled those plans, even with their close friend James Gunn at the helm of DC Studios. Netflix’s proven ability to create massively popular series and revive dormant IPs could finally give Welling and Rosenbaum’s ideas the traction they need. With the right backing, the original Smallville cast could reunite one final time.
The Smallville Season 11 comics already provide a strong blueprint for a Smallville reunion. Smallville Season 11 functions as a true finale, with Welling’s Clark Kent acting as a fully realized Superman. If supported by Netflix and DC Studios, a live-action Smallville Season 11 could adapt the same larger-than-life sequel story with the original cast, though budget would be a primary concern. Alternatively, a Smallville sequel could remix the same ideas with a more contained scope.
Smallville Can Still Live On, In A Different Form
Smallville Will Likely Get An Animated Sequel, Eventually
A Smallville sequel is far more plausible in animated form, where logistical barriers that limit live-action revivals aren’t a problem. Animation would allow the story to resume without concerns over actor ages, physical demands, or budgetary limits. Just as importantly, it would free the series to fully embrace Superman’s mythology without compromise to deliver large-scale action, proper costumes, and higher stakes than the iconic TV show never reached.
An animated Smallville sequel opens multiple creative paths. Whoever acquires Warner Bros. could produce a faithful animated adaptation of the Smallville Season 11 comics, which already serve as a canonical continuation. Otherwise, an animated Smallville sequel could tell an original story that runs parallel to the comics or extend their plot. Franchises like the MonsterVerse and Predator have pulled off similar feats with animated installments like Skull Island and Predator: Killer of Killers.
The good news is that Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling have already indicated that their preferred Smallville continuation would be animated, with the original cast returning only for voice roles. This approach not only makes production much easier and the budget much more realistic, but it also helps the actors find support from the studios. Once the dust settles around the bid war for Warner Bros., one of DC Studios’ next Elseworlds projects could be a Smallville animated sequel.
- Release Date
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2001 – 2011
- Directors
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Mike Rohl, Jeannot Szwarc, Glen Winter, Terrence O’Hara, Whitney Ransick, Mairzee Almas, Paul Shapiro, Rick Rosenthal, David Carson, James L. Conway, Chris Long, Michael Katleman, Morgan Beggs, Allison Mack, David Barrett, Marita Grabiak, Michael W. Watkins, Philip Sgriccia, Rick Wallace, Thomas J. Wright, Todd Slavkin, Brad Turner, Charles Beeson, Craig Zisk
