Posted on July 30, 2010 at 12:45 PM in Hotline Caller | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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By Morgan Jeffery
Smallville producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson have revealed details of Kara's return to the series.
Kara (played by Laura Vandervoort) - the cousin of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) - was a regular character in the show's seventh season and made a guest appearance in season eight.
"We're quite excited [about her return]," Souders told IGN. "You'll see a little bit more Supergirl than Kara in this episode. That's why [the episode is] called 'Supergirl'."
She continued: "When she comes in she is going to kind of shake up the world for all of our superheroes."
"It sends them in a very different direction," added Peterson.
Peterson refused to confirm whether Kara would teach Clark how to fly. However, Souders hinted that she could convince the future Superman to finally wear his famous costume.
"She might," teased the showrunner. "She's a fashion girl. She's knows how to accessorise."
The tenth season of Smallville - the show's last - will premiere on September 24 on The CW. Vandervoort's episode is scheduled to air in October.
Posted on July 30, 2010 at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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With the tenth and final season of "Smallville" coming this fall, one of the main questions on the minds of the fans is whether Tom Welling's Clark Kent will finally step up and become Superman. And according to Welling, it will finally happen.
"Yeah, that's the plan," Welling told The Flickcast, when asked if he would become Superman this season. "I don't know how they're going to do it, but I know that inevitably, that's where we get to."
"[The Superman costume] looks good," added Welling. "I wasn't there when they shot it on set. I was actually on another stage shooting something else. But I know what it looks like."
Welling also offered his thoughts on wearing the Superman suit both for himself and his character.
"I think it's a huge responsibility for Clark and for me," explained Welling. "And hopefully, we can get to a place where the fans feel as though we did everything that we could. We serviced the character the way that will make them all happy."
Regarding long-standing rumors that he could play Superman on the big screen, Welling replied, "I've always been open to the idea. It's not as simple as everyone would like to think."
"It's not as simple as me wanting to do it or not wanting to do it," he explained. "I know that a lot of people want to jump on me or jump on Warner Brothers. It's just not that simple. So there's a lot of elements that have to come together."
The season premiere of "Smallville" will air on Friday, September 24.
What are your thoughts on Clark Kent becoming Superman on "Smallville"? Should Tom Welling get a chance to play the Man of Steel on the big screen? Break out your Kryptonite and let us know what you're thinking in the comment section
Posted on July 30, 2010 at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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By Blair Marnell
With the tenth and final season of "Smallville" coming this fall, one of the main questions on the minds of the fans is whether Tom Welling's Clark Kent will finally step up and become Superman. And according to Welling, it will finally happen.
"Yeah, that's the plan," Welling told The Flickcast, when asked if he would become Superman this season. "I don't know how they're going to do it, but I know that inevitably, that's where we get to."
"[The Superman costume] looks good," added Welling. "I wasn't there when they shot it on set. I was actually on another stage shooting something else. But I know what it looks like."
Welling also offered his thoughts on wearing the Superman suit both for himself and his character.
"I think it's a huge responsibility for Clark and for me," explained Welling. "And hopefully, we can get to a place where the fans feel as though we did everything that we could. We serviced the character the way that will make them all happy."
Regarding long-standing rumors that he could play Superman on the big screen, Welling replied, "I've always been open to the idea. It's not as simple as everyone would like to think."
"It's not as simple as me wanting to do it or not wanting to do it," he explained. "I know that a lot of people want to jump on me or jump on Warner Brothers. It's just not that simple. So there's a lot of elements that have to come together."
The season premiere of "Smallville" will air on Friday, September 24.
What are your thoughts on Clark Kent becoming Superman on "Smallville"? Should Tom Welling get a chance to play the Man of Steel on the big screen? Break out your Kryptonite and let us know what you're thinking in the comment section
Posted on July 30, 2010 at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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DC capes fans feeling a touch melancholy about SMALLVILLE ending this season and leaving a big, gaping hole in their CW watching can cheer up - - the network’s entertainment prez, Dawn Ostroff, is already thinking about a replacement. According to the Boston Herald, the CW’s harkened its ear to fans’ concerns and it’s currently combing DC’s colossal catalog of classic comics characters for content that’d could be curved into a cool TV show. This isn’t guaranteed, of course. Ostroff’s stressing that they don’t want to put a new DC show up just to put one on.
Still, I’d say the network would be remiss not to continue putting out content with this kind of crossover appeal. I remember SMALLVILLE was originally spun as “ Superman at DAWSON’S CREEK” and it pulled off the mighty task of uniting usually-disparate audiences for ten years straight. So what show could replace SMALLVILLE? A Green Arrow spin-off seems like it’d be an easy contender. I’d suggest maybe Blue Beetle, given that there’s already been some test footage for a show, but that’s looking like something geared more towards the sensibilities of WB sister station, Cartoon Network. Maybe this is complete the roundabout and lead to BRUCE WAYNE finally getting on the air. You’ll recall that a show about Batman’s globe-trotting, pre-mask early days was in development early on and, I suppose, the whole thing ended up splitting into SMALLVILLE and BATMAN BEGINS.
Or perhaps, perhaps, perhaps… this is the angle for Wonder Woman to finally get back into the popular eye. The WB might not be able to get a movie off the ground, but I could see a show reinventing Diana’s early years in man’s world could work. What do you Comic Vine maniacs think? I’m putting you in the exec's chair. What would YOU program and schedule?
Posted on July 30, 2010 at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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"Smallville” has earned its stripes when it comes to teases, nudges and winks to the future of the character, not to mention the larger franchise.
And, before the final season is out, fans will finally see the transformation of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) into Superman ... complete with his cape and tights.
How the series will end has been a hot topic of speculation for the last few years with fans offering a variety of different possibilities. However, according to Executive Producer Kelly Souders, the ending is something that producers have known for quite a while and will feature elements originally devised by creators Al Gough and Miles Millar, who both departed the series at the end of the seventh season.
"We have all known images and pieces of the finale for years and years and years, starting back with Al and Miles," Souders told Blastr. "They had ideas that they always talked about being in the final episode, and we love those ideas. We want to also honor the creators of the show, so there will be some images that literally come from Al and Miles, some from us and some from just years of our own wish lists.
"In a strange sense it's easy, because you know in that final moment he's going to be Superman. We know where he ends, so the pieces just fall into place."
Already Clark has discovered the majority of his powers (apart from flight, of course), defeated countless enemies and he has even adopted the crest from the House of El as his shield, so why isn’t he Superman yet? Well, that is something Souders and company have spent tremendous time examining, and the transformation into Superman will be a key concept of the final season.
"When we sat down to talk about this season, we asked, ‘Why isn't he Superman today?'" Souders said. "We really looked at his character, and he's been a leader and certainly developed his skill set as Superman, but he's not Superman. If you watch the episodes right now, he's not that guy yet, so it was about moving him to that final point, and figuring what are the stumbling blocks and the obstacles, which is what we are going to be seeing. And one of the things we talked about was his past, so we'll see some ghosts from his past so he can have his final lessons from them and move on out of the dark mode into the light."
Among that darkness has been a whole cadre of villains, including several from the larger DC universe. Lex Luthor, Zod, Brainiac and Doomsday already have been bested by the Man of Steel, and reports suggest that the Kryptonian hero will go head-to-head with Darkseid when the series returns in the fall. Assisting him in the final stretch of his journey will be some familiar faces, including Kara (Laura Vandervoort) and Jonathan Kent (John Schneider) ... and the villains also will have some help from vanquished baddies.
James Marsters, who was recently introduced as a villain in Syfy’s “Caprica,” will return to reprise his role of the Kryptonian Brain Interactive Construct (or Brainiac, as he likes to be called).
"It will sort of be an old villain and a new villain all in one," Souders revealed. "There were things that we really wanted to encapsulate in the 200th, and we literally sat around for days trying to bring it together, and suddenly Brainiac 5 popped in and it all fell into place."
“Smallville” returns to The CW for its final season beginning on Sept. 24.
Posted on July 29, 2010 at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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via screencrave.com
Now that we’ve all gotten used to the fact that “Smallville” will be no more, it’s time to reveal the big bad for the final season. According to a report from THR, Darkseid is finally going after Clark Kent to the joy of fans everywhere. A lot of us were wondering if or when the villain would show up and it looks like he’s about to make his grand entrance…
This info comes from “Smallville” producers who were in attendance at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. They stated that Darkseid would be the main villain, they confirmed John Schneider would make a guest appearance for the 200th episode, and Chloe (Allison Mack) would get a good send-off.
As for the screentime for the other actors on the show, Justin Hartley who plays Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow will appear in 17 episodes, while Erica Durance (Lois Lane) will be present in all of them.
Also, Tom Welling and Hartley will both direct episodes this season, which should be cool. On another note, how will it all end? If Darkseid is the main bad guy does that mean that Lex Luthor won’t find a way to creep in and be the truly evil arch-nemesis that we all know and love? Sure he’s supposed to be “dead” but this is TV! It could happen.
How do you feel about Darkseid being the main villain this season?
Posted on July 29, 2010 at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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via www.movieweb.com
Smallville Trailer for the Final
The CW has unleashed a short TV spot pumped full of new footage for the 10th and final season of Smallville. The sequence features very short glimpses of what you can expect come September 24th, 2010, when the series makes it's season 10 debut. New shots of Supergirl, Hawkman, Green Arrow and some other major players are all included!
Posted on July 28, 2010 at 05:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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via www.tvguide.com
by Mickey O'Connor and Adam Bryant
Any scoop on Smallville's final season? I can't wait to see Clark become Superman. — Zach
ADAM: Well, wait you must, it seems. "We've got 22 episodes to do it," says executive producer Kelly Souders. "[Clark] has a few more obstacles and lessons to learn. When you look at the show right now, he's definitely not the Superman — the bright light, the inspirational guy — that he will be by the end of the season. He's still in sort of a dark hour. There are things that he's internally wrestling with, and he really has to get over that in order to become that inspirational hope."
Posted on July 28, 2010 at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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Tom Welling On The Responsibility Of Wearing The Suit And The Possibility Of Playing Superman On The Big Screen!
The Smallville star discusses the honour of finally suiting up as the Man of Steel and whether or not he's ready to take his version of Clark Kent onto the big screen...
Now that it's finally been confirmed that we'll see Tom Welling wear the iconic costume, the next question is whether or not he wants to also portray the character on the character after the tenth and final season of Smallville. In the following interview which was conducted at Comic Con on Sunday, the actor talks about all of that and more!
Are you looking forward to finally seeing Tom Welling suit up as Superman on the small screen? And would you like to see him play the character in the upcoming Christopher Nolan scripted reboot? Have your say in the usual place!
Posted on July 27, 2010 at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted on July 27, 2010 at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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Los Angeles Times business writer Ben Fritz and I wrote a cover story that ran Wednesday in the paper's Calendar section and this is a much longer verison of that article.
DC heroes
The premiere for Marvel Studios' "Iron Man 2" shut down Hollywood Boulevard in May with the year's most bombastic red-carpet event, featuring fireworks, a heavy-metal soundtrack, go-go dancers and a parade of celebrities that included Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke and Hugh Hefner. Walking through it all were two outsiders of a sort: Diane Nelson and Geoff Johns.
The industry odd couple — she previously managed the Harry Potter brand for Warner Bros. but had no experience in comics, he's a fan-favorite comic-book writer who had never worked at a studio — are the president and chief creative officer, respectively, of DC Entertainment, main comic-book rival to Marvel. Their task is to rummage through the massive DC library and finally get venerable characters such as Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Flash and Aquaman on the silver screen for parent company Warner Bros. Their appointment, part of a restructuring of DC last September, is an implicit acknowledgment of the long dysfunctional relationship between the studio and its New York comic book unit.
Warner Bros. is counting on the pair to fly to the rescue and to do it soon — the Potter franchise, which has pulled in more than $5.3 billion at the box office, is winding down with its seventh installment this November and its finale next summer. The top Warner leadership is also frustrated that over the last decade it has been Marvel Comics characters — led by Spider-Man, the X-Men and Iron Man — who have won the hearts of moviegoers with franchises that have pulled in close to $8 billion.
For Johns, 37, who grew up in Michigan as a passionate comics fan, walking Marvel's red carpet gave him even more motivation to weave a Hollywood story for DC's characters, many of whom have a far more illustrious publishing history than Iron Man.
"You look at that success …it makes you want to achieve the same sort of thing but do it in our own way," Johns said. "They've done great things and now we want to do great things."
Diane Nelson and Geoff Johns
They will get their first test this week at Comic-Con International, the massive pop-culture expo in San Diego that has become a make-or-break showcase for the sci-fi, fantasy and superhero films that increasingly populate studio slates. They have one heroic success to build on — director Christopher Nolan's two Batman films have grossed $1.4 billion — but also the drag of this year's disastrous "Jonah Hex" and "The Losers," two appropriately named and painful reminders that DC characters have often been cinematic kryptonite.
Nelson and Johns will coordinate everything DC-related — Johns, for instance, hinted that there may be a half-dozen or more potential television projects in pipeline, suggesting "Smallville" and "Human Target" may soon be joined on the air by other DC-based properties. There are also video games and toys, but the most scrutiny so far is on their role as catalysts for tentpole films at the studio, where film group president Jeff Robinov speaks as though the 75-year-old comic-book company is a fresh new commodity.
Green Lantern"We're looking at DC as an untapped asset," he said, "since we need to find a way to fill some of the holes in our event movie schedule created by the end of Harry Potter."
On Saturday, in front of an expected audience of 6,500 at Comic-Con, Warner will present the first footage from "Green Lantern," which stars Ryan Reynolds and is the biggest effort by the studio to create a superhero franchise that doesn't feature Superman or Batman. The character, whose roots go back to the 1940s, is a member of an intergalactic peacekeeping force armed with rings that give them nearly unlimited powers.
"Lantern" is the first film made with the new DC team in place and Johns will be right up there on stage with director Martin Campbell, Reynolds and other cast members. Far from an interloper, Johns was an essential sounding board on matters of plot, tone, character design and visual effects, the film team said.
" 'Integrity officer' is a great way to describe him," Reynolds said. "He's quality control in terms of the source material and making sure we use it in the right way. If something doesn't sit well with Geoff, then everyone knows that's worthy of sounding an alarm. But he also doesn’t come in with this agenda that he tries to shove down your throat. And his passion for the material is obvious."
The biggest challenge for Nelson and Johns may be merging the cultures of the Warner lot in Burbank and the offices of DC, which are in Manhattan but may soon move to L.A.
The company that would become known as DC Comics invented the comic-book superhero in the summer of 1938 with Superman. Its florid archive is deeper and includes more iconic characters than the Marvel library, but moviegoers certainly wouldn't know that over the last decade. "Superman Returns," a 2006 cinematic reboot of the world's best known superhero, was regarded within Warner as a critical and commercial disappointment. Instead of following it with a sequel, the studio is now allowing Nolan to produce a new take on the character.
The Dark Knight poster Movies based on Marvel heroes, meanwhile, have grossed more than $7.2 billion worldwide in the last decade for a variety of studios, a track record that led Walt Disney Co. to buy the comic-book company last year for $4.3 billion. Marvel Studios is now an independent unit of Disney cranking out its own films.
Nelson and Johns say they're not out to copy Marvel and they view the competition as friendly and motivational. But the success of their competitor has clearly put the pressure on them from the highest levels of Warner parent company Time Warner Inc.
Nelson, 43, is accustomed to that type of intensity. As the lead executive overseeing the Potter franchise, she played a key role in successfully steering author J.K. Rowling's characters from the page into theaters, toy stores, theme parks and home-video collections. One Warner executive praised Nelson as a key part of the team: “If, as they say, success has a thousand fathers, in this case the successful marketing and brand management of the Harry Potter movies has one mother: Diane." She has been tasked with replicating that success for DC characters.
Nelson's office is dotted with superhero bric-a-brac and, to pose for a newspaper photographer, she wore a retro Wonder Woman shirt and plastic ring with the Green Lantern logo. But she made no attempt to present herself as a lifelong fan; when asked what she knew about DC Comics before taking the job, she held up the ringed hand with her fingers in the shape of a zero.
However, Nelson said her distance from the mythology gives her plenty in common with the majority of moviegoers.
"It's no small challenge how few people have heard of these properties or understand their stories outside of fans of comic books," she said. "Sometimes the comic-book fans who love this stuff...
want us to get too precious about this stuff and if we do, we'll kill it off. We need to figure out how to evolve and grow it and bring it to more people."
Diane Nelson and Geoff Johns 2
Johns, meanwhile, is as deeply immersed in the DC mythology as any hard-core fan. He can launch into an analysis of the television potential of Dr. Thirteen, an obscure character who investigates the paranormal and first appeared in comics in 1951, or muse about the appeal of “The Haunted Tank,” a 1960s DC mash-up of war comics and ghost stories.
Johns studied film theory at Michigan State University and, with an affinity for 3D graphics, he came west in 1996 with hopes of finding a career in the visual effects sector. He read that director Richard Donner, famed for "Superman" in 1978 and the "Lethal Weapon" films, was developing a film based on Marvel's “X-Men” comics and he cold-called the office seeking an internship. He was put on hold and, in a moment of wild serendipity, Donner inadvertently picked up the line. The director chatted with the then-22-year-old for a moment and liked his eagerness. Johns started the next day.
The Flash Within a few years, though, success in comics took him on a new path. He became one of DC's top writers, working on nearly every major character. Starting in 2008, he served on a team of DC writers who advised Robinov on sharpening his approach to comic books.
That made him a perfect fit when Warner executives started looking for a creative executive to work under Nelson. "Geoff knows how to make these characters contemporary and yet stick to their core values, which is a fantastic asset for us," said Robinov.
Among the DC properties Robinov would like to see on the big screen after "Green Lantern" and Nolan's Superman are the Flash, Wonder Woman and the Justice League, which would pull together many big-name DC superheroes into a team. If that last movie does happen on the new team's watch, it would be a wry twist because Nelson and Johns got their posts in part because of a previous Justice League movie that was killed shortly before filming was to begin in 2008. It was one of several ill-fated projects, along with a comedic take on Green Lantern set to star Jack Black in a story written by “Triumph the Insult Comic Dog” creator Robert Smigel and a TV show featuring Batman sidekick Robin that didn't mesh with Nolan's movies or his "world view" of Batman.
The development of movies based on DC characters was previously done with little supervision or coordination. Former DC publisher Paul Levitz, who worked in New York, and an L.A.-based executive who reported to him were useful resources but not integrated into Warner’s film unit, they said. As a result, different producers and executives would sometimes work on competing versions of the same characters or ones that veered wildly from the comic book source material.
Superman Returns But the most divisive DC project the last year, insiders say, was a movie based on the DC super-team Justice League that came extremely close to being produced in 2008. Set to be shot by “Mad Max” and "Happy Feet" director George Miller, the movie would have featured different, younger versions of Batman and Superman than the ones in the then-recent “Batman Begins” and “Superman Returns,” as well as introducing characters including Flash, Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
Executives at the company disagreed over whether the Justice League movie was a wise idea, but it was killed at the last minute for a variety of reasons, including the Writers Guild of America strike and trouble securing tax credits in Australia, where it was set to be shot.
"In the past, there wasn't coordination or a cohesive plan for making movies out of DC characters," said Jeff Katz, a former executive at Warner sibling studio New Line Cinema who now runs film and comic production company American Original Entertainment. "It appears that Warner Bros. has realized they need a new strategy to get the maximum value from DC, which is clearly a smart decision."
Johns, who still pens comic-book scripts at night and on weekends, including Green Lantern, seems a bit startled by his ascension but also thrilled at the opportunity. He said a visit to the set of "Green Lantern" last month was the highlight of his professional life.
"To see a movie set for a character that I had spent so much time and creative energy on and to see it actually get shot, it was amazing. And more than that, I had been dreaming of seeing a Green Lantern movie since I was 8 years old."
-- Geoff Boucher and Ben Fritz
Posted on July 27, 2010 at 01:59 PM in News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Technorati Tags: DC Comics starts a new film era with Green Lantern, Geoff Johns and Diane Nelson | Hero Complex | Los Angeles Times
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By Morgan Jeffery
Smallville showrunner Brian Wayne Peterson has promised that the upcoming tenth season of the program will be "brighter" than the ninth.
He told fans at this year's Comic-Con that viewers will see a change in the show as Clark Kent (Tom Welling) begins his final evolution into Superman.
"Last year we obviously got really dark and the whole idea was to put Clark through a lot of trials," he explained. "But this year… the palette of the show will grow brighter and what he wears... is going to change."
The producer confirmed that the final season will see Clark explore his destiny as a costumed crime-fighter.
"The whole feel of the show will start gearing towards his future as a hero," he said.
Smallville will return for the tenth season on September 24 on The CW.
Posted on July 27, 2010 at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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via ca.eonline.com
By Megan Masters
If you're feeling a teensy bit emotional about the impending end of Smallville—well, join the club.
Sorry, wish we could offer you some solace, but after the nine-season retrospective (new footage from year 10 included!) at Sunday morning's Comic-Con panel, we're still sitting here like blubbering idiots trying to pen this oh-so-informative scoop-fest for you. Wait, there actually is some solace in that, huh?
Here is what you fans need to know...
Comic-Con 2010
Since you asked (and asked and asked via hundreds of Twitter @replies), we did our best to get the dirt on your favorite Smallville lovebirds, Chloe (Alison Mack) and Oliver (Justin Hartley). And luckily, we did!
According to show runner Kelly Souders, Alison fans need not fret—that kickass chicky will be back in a big way.
"We have a really strong story for her this season," Kelly tells us. "You will see Chloe this season again [beyond the premiere]. Plus, she has a relationship with Oliver and she's got to tie that up. That's just flowing in the wind! Chlollie fans will be happy—they will get their time onscreen."
Go ahead—we'll give you guys a minute to regroup after that joyous news.
"That relationship has been a lot of fun for us to write," Kelly continues, "and I know it's been really fun for Justin and Alison. They've had a good time evolving, and [that relationship] is not going to stall out. They're so interesting together, we love them onscreen. So we're Chlollie fans, too!"
As for the actual number of episodes Alison will appear in, it's still up in the air, but both Kelly and show runner Brian Peterson promise it will be for as many as humanly possible. Plus, Chloe will be introduced in comic books soon too, so be on the lookout for that.
Justin Hartley is eager to get his onscreen galpal back, too. "The way it starts off is Oliver's looking for Chloe, trying to find out who took her, what happened," he spills, "He gets those answers rather quickly. And from then on it's a quest to find her or prove those people wrong. He doesn't believe them. But I love Chlollie. It works, right?"
Oh, and did you guys want some news about Lois (Erica Durance) and Clark (Tom Welling), too?
Erica tells us Clois will be in a good place when Smallville returns Sept. 24. "Lois knows Clark's secret, and that's mind-blowing, but it's an affirmation she has because I believe she's always known they was the same person," she laughs.
"I would go up against anyone about that. And now Lois is embracing it and finding out where she fits in his world now that he's this rockstar."
But ever the feminista, Erica has plans for her alterego beyond the romance: "Hopefully she will continue to go forward, and continue her individual path and being that undercover reporter and believing in herself—not just relying on the fact that he's a superhero. I want her to still continue to save herself." Have we mentioned that both Erica and Lois are pretty badass?
Comic-Con's Smallville panel was bubbling over with too much scoop? Not possible, but here's your quick fix on everything else you need to know:
• John Schneider (Jonathan Kent) is back, and popped up on the panel to surprise fans!" I wish I were more like him in my real life," John gushed of his character. What you might not have known is that he'll be back for more than one episode and told us that how he reappears is still a mystery to him. "I don't know if that means I'm a spirit. I'm not really sure exactly what I am; real, imaginary, memory? But it's the best written scene I've ever done on Smallville."
• Lionel (not Lex!) Luthor appeared in the new footage for season ten, but that doesn't mean they've given up on Michael Rosenbaum's return. "I know he's thinking about it," Tom tells us. "I know he knows that we want him and we don't feel like we can end it without it. He threatened he'd be in audience and make himself known, but he kept quiet if he was even out there." And for the record, Tom said he'll sign our petition to bring the baddie back, so let's get going on that.
• Tess lives! For better or worse, Cassidy Freeman ain't goin' nowhere. "I'm sitting here in this panel, so it looks good," she teased. "There are no goodbyes for me right now, I'm coming back to say hello."
• Brian Peterson says they're bringing in Darkseid as a villain this season, but in a way we've never seen before. Also, members of the Suicide Squad will pop up.
• Some form of the real Superman suit popped up in the promo, to which Tom said he hadn't seen it in person yet, and Brian promised we'd see Clark in an outfit other than the black one we're seeing now. "Whatever we do, I want to make sure we earn the suit at the end," Tom told us after the panel.
• 22! Erica will be in 22 episodes this season. And Justin will be in 17.
• To answer many Twitter Q's: ""I don't think we need a symbol or bracelet to know who Clark's true love is," per Brian.
That's all the Smallville scoop we've got for now—how are you feeling about it? Let us know below!
Posted on July 27, 2010 at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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By Graeme McMillan
He’s been rumored as the bad guy for at least two years now, but as the tenth and final season of Smallville prepares to debut, it’s been confirmed: Clark Kent will be facing off against Darkseid.
Confirmation came at Comic-Con International 2010, where it was also confirmed that John Schneider will return for the show’s 200th episode. Also returning for the final season blowout: Supergirl and the JSA. Of course, if Smallville‘s Darkseid is anything like the comic version, Clark will need all the help he can get to make it to the end of the series…
Posted on July 27, 2010 at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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Has it really been 10 years since we, and Comic-Con, were introduced to teenage Clark Kent, Lana Lang, Lex Luthor, Chloe Sullivan and the rest of the gang living in Smallville, Kan.?
Well, no, it's been nine, but as "Smallville" goes into its 10th and final season, the show has been a mainstay at Comic-Con. It's hard to imagine that this crowd heard much that it hasn't heard in the past 10 years that the show has been coming to San Diego with various members of the cast and crew.
The 10th-season promo gave us glimpses of Hawkman, Lois Lane in a desert, Allison Mack's Chloe with Dr. Fate's helmet, Cadmus labs and what looked to be Doomsday, and Clark Kent finally taking flight in a black and silver suit. Or what looked to be flight. We'll find out later.
Moderated by comics/TV writer and exec Geoff Johns, this year's panel included writer/producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson and actors Justin Hartley, Erica Durance, Cassidy Freeman, John Schneider and, of course, Tom Welling.
The prevailing questions that even those who have dropped "Smallville" off of their DVR lists continue to ask -- "Why isn't he flying yet?" and "Why isn't he in the suit yet?!?" -- were asked and answered, probably for the umpteenth time.
"Before Clark Kent can really become Superman, he has to go through some trials and tribulations. The [black-and-silver] suit he's wearing reflected what was inside at the time," Souders said.
The cast was asked about favorite episodes ("Roulette," "Checkmate" and the 100th episode came up), training for fight scenes (Freeman on stunt people: "They're there and they're dressed like us and it's creepy"), and new characters (members of the Suicide Squad might show up).
Welling was asked about filming with Christopher Reeve, which was Peterson's favorite episode.
"I don't think I've ever understood what it was like. He was such an awesome guy, and he made me feel so comfortable," Welling said. "One story ... he was only allowed to be there for five or six hours a day per the doctors and nurses, but I think he was there for something like 10 hours. He wouldn't let them take him away.... It was an out-of-body experience for me."
The entire cast was really grateful for the live audience and the viewers, and they expressed that before ending the panel.
Durance: "I hope [fans] have the reward and satisfaction of being absolutely in love with it."
Schneider: "I hope that you understand that even though the actor types and cast and crew are sequestered from the people ... that you understand that we know and appreciate that viewers are out there buying magazines and watching TV and now on the Internet."
Welling: "It is the idea of the fans giving their support and their passion that keeps us running."
Souders: "A personal thanks for all of us because you've made our dreams come true, so thank you very much for a decade of support."
-- Jevon Phillips
Posted on July 27, 2010 at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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The cast and crew of Smallville returned to Comic-Con—perhaps for the last time. Barring any nostalgic retrospectives in the future, this is it for Tom Welling, Erica Durance, and company, as Smallville prepares for its tenth and final season. I didn’t get a chance to sit in on the panel: that would have meant waking up really early (there were diehard fans camped out overnight) and missing the Supernatural press room (where I got some face time with the Winchesters). But I did chat with the Smallville people at their own press room—here’s what they had to say about Season 10. Beware of spoilers!
via www.tv.com
Posted on July 26, 2010 at 03:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted on July 26, 2010 at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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Smallville opened the final day of Comic-Con with a super-sized bang. The cast and producers of the CW series dished out more spoilers than we can wrap our heads around. From Allison Mack's exit and the introduction of the super-suit (which is actually the very suit from Superman Returns), to new villains and resurrections, TVGuide.com has all the scoop below:
Super Season 10 Scene-Stealers: New footage from the final season kicked off the panel. Spoilers of note: Lois (Erica Durance) finds the infamous blue and red super-suit in the Kent farmhouse; Chloe and Oliver (Justin Hartley) kiss; Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) is still alive, but being held captive; Cat Grant joins Clark (Tom Welling) at the Daily Planet while Lois is off in Africa as a field correspondent; we hear the word "Superman"; and Chloe says "Goodbye Clark," as she picks up Dr. Fate's gold helmet. Is your head spinning?
Super Villain: "This year we have a little different twist on the villain," executive producer Brian Peterson said. "We're bringing in Darkseid, but he's going to come in a little different form than you're used to seeing, so we're going to switch it up a little."
Super Secrets: Lois found out Clark's little secret in the season finale, but won't be sharing the news, even with him. "She decides not to tell him that she knows for a while," Durance told TVGuide.com after the panel."She finds all these ways to hide it and make it easy for him to do what he's got to do to get away from her, so he can be that superhero and fulfill that destiny. But, in true Lois fashion, I'm sure she'll get tired of keeping secrets."
Super Surprise: As mentioned above, Tess Mercer is alive. Rejoice! She will even be helping Clark and Oliver at Watchtower, Freeman told TVGuide.com. However, "There's a huge secret from her past discovered in mid-season that is going to come back, that she tries to keep from people, but it's really going to change things around for her. This twist is going to define whether or not she's destined for goodness or badness."
Super Endings: Mack will be leaving the show this season, and Peterson said they will wrap the storyline "in a way that's fitting for Chloe." Her romance with Oliver will play a key role in that. "She gives herself up for him, like a trade almost," Hartley told TVGuide.com. "He is trying to figure out who's behind it, and he's been told that they killed her, so he's kind of tormented. His whole quest is to try to figure out where she is."
Super Behind-the-Scenes: Welling will be directing two episodes in the new season, and Hartley will take his first spin in the director's chair. There's also good news for Durance fans that campaigned for her to be in 22 episodes: Mission accomplished.
Super Returning Characters: Jonathan Kent (played by John Schneider, who surprised fans by showing up to the panel) will return, along with Brainiac (James Marsters), Kara (Laura Vandervoort) Carter Hall (Michael Shanks) and Plastique (Jessica Parker Kennedy), who has become a member of the Suicide Squad. Peterson also said they're in discussions to get Lionel Luther (John Glover) back on the series. And as for his progeny, Lex (Michael Rosenbaum), the producers said the door was always open.
Super New Characters: Besides Granny Goodness, who appeared in the finale, and Darkseid, along with his harbingers, viewers will meet Rick Flag, a member of the Suicide Squad. Also, Geoff Johns, who wrote "Absolute Justice" last season, will be doing a Booster Gold and Blue Beetle episode that will feature Jaime Reyes' Blue Beetle, Skeets, and possibly Ted Kord.
Super Wait: Clark Kent will become Superman by the end of the year. "There are some people who don't like the fact that we've waited this long to do the suit or become Superman," Welling told TVGuide.com. "You also have to understand that if we had done that in Season 1, we would've been done. The fact that we've lasted this long is because we've struggled and tried to put off the inevitable this long."
Smallville premieres Friday, Sept. 24 at 8/7c on the CW.
Posted on July 26, 2010 at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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Continue reading "'Smallville' exec promises Chloe return" »
Posted on July 26, 2010 at 02:49 PM in Allison Mack | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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via www.examiner.com
The CW's "Smallville" may have been making its last visit to San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, as Tom Welling and the rest of the cast discussed the tenth season of their landmark show. For the actor it was a chance to look back, while at the same time wonder what could be next for his career.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Welling spoke out about his future endeavors:
"I sort of subscribe to the idea of no limitations. I want to do it all - I know that there are some people who since I’ve been doing the creating and directing and producing of another show, 'Hellcats,' and working over there simultaneously with 'Smallville,' some people are like, 'oh he doesn’t want to act anymore' but that would be a mistake. At my core I still want to act, I’ve just also been trying to, you know, take advantage of all of the opportunities I have and create some more cool things.
Welling also added that it has been a "wonderful feeling" to see the reaction of fans to the show at Comic-Con over the years -- as for the possibility of an eleventh season for "Smallville", both Welling and other stars have hinted at the possibility at times over the past few months. However, the odds currently seem to be in favor of the show coming to an end this spring.
Do you want "Smallville" to live on?
Posted on July 26, 2010 at 02:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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