Few characters in television and entertainment have had the long-lasting impact that Superman has. The Man of Steel has been a constant presence in the superhero genre, inspiring many adaptations.
As we anticipate James Gunn’s Superman movie, which will debut next summer and kick off the new DC Universe, we also prepare to say goodbye to The CW’s recent portrayal of Superman in Superman & Lois. The show will conclude after its fourth and final season.
However, none of these adaptations match the enduring popularity of Smallville, which ended more than a decade ago. Now, Erica Durance, who starred in the original series, has shared what she hopes for in a potential return as Lois Lane in a future revival series.
Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum, who played Superman and Lex Luthor, have yet to get the official go-ahead for their animated Smallville revival series. In an interview with Screen Rant, Durance, who played Superman’s love interest, shared her ideas for the future of her character.
The actor said:
“I’d love to have show where she would have gone further in her career. Whether it was for her to be a mother, how she balanced all of that. I’d like to goes a little more into her past, her experiences with her dad, and how her upbringing shaped her a little bit more and just seeing her grow into another person, a grown-up version of herself.
But I’d love to keep her complicated and full of conflict and not always doing the right thing and not always saying the right thing, because there [are] more people like that out there, I think, in the world, than the ones that seem to be super slick.”
A Revival Series is Coming Soon
Smallville was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and aired from 2001 to 2011. The show became a lasting tribute to Superman’s origins, offering a down-to-earth take on his story. It also paved the way for other superhero shows like Arrow and The Flash.
While David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult represent the future versions of Superman and Lex Luthor in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, Smallville stars Welling and Rosenbaum are working on a potential revival of their series.
“Tom and I are working on a Smallville animated series that we’re trying to get made. It’s gonna take time. But the creators of Smallville are attached, they want to be a part of it.
Still from Smallville (Credit: Hulu)
And we, you know, when it’s the right time, we’ll pitch it. You know, we’re working on it and we have some loose animation that we’ve worked [on] with someone who was just awesome. It looks great. So if we can get that made, that’d be awesome,” Rosenbaum said.
Superman’s next big-screen appearance will be on July 11, 2025, when he kicks off the DCU in theaters. Fans can stream all episodes of the original Smallville on Hulu. Keep an eye out for more updates on the Smallville animated series.
If there’s no one criticizing The Rings of Power, then it’s safe to say that Elrond is no longer with us. This statement largely holds true, but the Season 2 finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power showed Elrond (played by Robert Aramayo) making a choice that would have seemed unimaginable earlier in the season.
After Sauron (Charlie Vickers) attacked Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) with the Crown of Morgoth, Elrond decided to wear her ring, Nenya, to help Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) drive away the dark forces surrounding her and save her life.
This moment is incredibly significant for Elrond. Carly Lane from Collider got the chance to talk with both Aramayo and Walker about what this decision means for Elrond going forward. Aramayo explained that the tough choice to save his friend’s life does not reflect a complete change in Elrond’s mindset, but it’s more complex than that:
“It’s difficult, isn’t it? Because I think when he puts it on, it’s like he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. One of the narratives could be, ‘Okay, now I’m in the game, now I’m in this role, now I’m opening myself up for corruption.’ But he has no choice in that moment.
But we then see the product of it. And so it’s complicated for him, isn’t it? And we know he doesn’t own a ring for a long time.
And so, I think that, more information needs to come my way about these rings, but something happened in the wearing of it, that saved one of the most important people in my life. So, there’s nothing finite there, I would say, in terms of the way he feels about things.”
For Walker, the fact that Elrond felt trapped, whether it was putting on the ring or the surprising kiss in Episode 7, adds depth to the storytelling. He shared with Collider:
“I like that about the show, if I can digress momentarily, that you talk about the kiss, you talk about wearing the ring, that when you seemingly have no option, how do you function? That’s interesting storytelling that. People read Macbeth and think, ‘Well, I’d never do that.’
Yes, you would. In those circumstances, you would do exactly the same. And I think that’s compelling, that in those moments, if they want to preserve the things that they love and care about and or stay alive, they have to make drastic decisions. And those are stories I enjoy.”
The Final Scene of Season 2 is “Very Tolkienian”
Speaking of tough choices, Lane asked Walker about the final scene in the season. In this scene, Elrond, Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) come together to decide their next steps as Sauron advances on Middle-earth.
“I think that’s very astute in that, it is twofold. A) It is a unified decision. It isn’t the king coming out and saying, ‘Now I know you don’t want to do this, but we’re going to buck up, guys.’ That it’s something that, again, like we’re discussing, is difficult but inevitable.
Still from The Rings of Power (Credit: Prime Video)
And the way Charlotte has edited it, I also find profound, in that the king has drawn his sword and he hasn’t even fully turned about-face to the assemblage there. But as he’s turning, the crowd erupts, that they’re poised and ready for the task at hand.
We first see them broken and rejected and dirty and wounded, but their spirit is not beaten, and they’re ready to rally.
I think that’s what makes it beautiful, that it’s the juxtaposition of the poise of the king, the solidarity in the decision, and the willingness of the followers to undertake this treacherous journey. And I mean, that’s Tolkienian, and pretty good television, frankly.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 is now available to stream on Prime Video.
