Tom Welling & Michael Rosenbaum Want to Make a Smallville Ca

Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum are game for a Smallville revival – but in cartoon form. Superhero TV shows are deeply rooted in television nowadays, with virtually every major network hosting at least one comic book-related series of its own; some have multiple superhero-related shows running at the same time – and it was all instigated by Arrow and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuting in 2012 and 2013, respectively. But there was a time before all that when the biggest superhero show on the air was Smallville.



The WB (now The CW) launched Smallville in 2001 as a way to tell the story of Clark Kent’s formative years before he put on the iconic red-and-blue suit and became Superman. The series ran for 10 seasons and introduced a variety of superheroes and supervillains, even going as far as to bring together the Justice League in live-action. While Smallville temporarily continued in comic book form, there has always been an interest amongst fans for the cast and crew to return for either a movie, a special reunion, or a full-on revival. While all three options are highly unlikely, especially since the Arrowverse is already established on The CW and the DCEU is in full-swing on the big screen, that doesn’t mean there isn’t another way Smallville could return.



Tom Welling (Clark Kent) and Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) were in attendance at Awesome Con this past weekend, and they responded to a fan question during the Smallville panel about the series potentially returning in live-action or animated form. Welling responded: “I mean, animated could be fun.” Rosenbaum agreed, saying: “I said to Al [Gough], we should do an animated Smallville. That would be huge! I mean, Smallville: The Animated Series, with all the real voices? And I wouldn’t have to shave my head! We’ve got to do that. Can you imagine us on mics doing the same dialogue?”



Smallville Lex Luthor and Clark Kent outfits Tom Welling & Michael Rosenbaum Want to Make a Smallville Cartoon



Smallville: The Animated Series does have a nice ring to it, and it would mean that neither actor would have to physically look their part anymore in order to portray their character again. Rosenbaum has repeatedly mentioned that constantly shaving his head was, well… annoying – as it would be for someone who had to do that for at least eight seasons. And seeing as there isn’t a Superman TV series currently on the air (barring The CW’s Supergirl), an animated Smallville series would be an ideal way for DC Entertainment to fill that gap while also giving newcomers the opportunity to discover a show that has had a major impact on modern superhero television.



Back in 2016, Green Arrow actor Justin Hartley mentioned that he would be up for a Smallville revival. But considering that This is Us is currently occupying a great deal of his time, a live-action revival may not be in the cards. An animated revival, though, would give each actor and actress breathing room to record their lines without everyone having to be together at the same time. It wouldn’t interfere with their current schedules as much as a live-action revival would. While a Smallville cartoon is far from happening, at least it’s good to know that the series’ two main stars are up for it.