Smallville Animated Sequel Show Gets Disappointing Update From Co-Creator

Smallville co-creator Alfred Gough has just offered up a troubling update regarding the future of the proposed animated revival of the hit Superman prequel series.

The oft-discussed animated sequel series has been in development since 2021. Smallville leads Tom Welling (Clark Kent) and Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) have been working closely with Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville’s other co-creator) to bring the beloved show back to the small screen. Unfortunately, the recent regime change at Warner Bros. and DC has seemingly halted any sort of imminent greenlight on the project.

What is the newest Smallville animated sequel show update?

Gough recently appeared on Welling and Rosenbaum’s Smallville rewatch podcast, Talk Ville, where he offered a brief update on the proposed animated sequel series. “That is the thing, I think the problem with most projects in development in any studio and/or any network is regime change,” he said (via Deadline).

The Smallville co-creator continued, “Warners has obviously gone through a lot, and I think the fact that they are in the process of rebooting Superman again, kind of unfortunately, I think, keeps our thing off the table for a bit.”

However, Gough remained optimistic that the animated Smallville revival would have its day in the sun, stating, “Everything comes around in one form or another, I just read the other day that they are rebooting Buffy for Hulu.”

Smallville fans can watch the entire episode of Talk Ville with Gough below:

Gough’s update comes less than a year after Welling teased that Lex’s father Lionel Luthor would be resurrected for the animated revival. The character was killed off in the original series’ seventh season at the hands of Lex.

Warner Bros. and DC Studios are currently preparing to launch “Summer of Superman,” a publishing initiative that is tied to the forthcoming theatrical release of James Gunn’s Superman, the first movie set in the DC Universe. The hotly-anticipated superhero blockbuster, with David Corenswet in the title role, is scheduled to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.