Thursday, July 30, 2009

Smallville: Movie rumours, Season 9 Superman costume!

Reposted from coventrytelegraph.net

RUMOURS of a Smallville spin-off movie have been around for a while.

They have been fuelled by the expectation - now turning into frustration for many - that at some point soon Tom Welling's young Clark Kent has to put on the costume and fly.

That has led to fan-created images, including the one featured above which has been circulating online for months and gives some idea of the call for Welling finally to become Superman.

But, thanks to San Diego Comic-Con, we now know a costume of some kind is coming to Smallville - not the classic costume depicted here but a costume nonetheless.

More on that below, and be warned this report does include some spoilers.

The rule of 'no tights, no flights' was established by original producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar at the start of the show but is probably wearing a little thin as we prepare for Season 9 to air on September 25 in the USA.

Talk of a movie surfaced most recently on Ain't It Cool News, which quoted a source saying the show would end in May, 2010, and be followed at Christmas that year by a feature film called Metropolis. It wasn't clear whether this would be a TV movie or a theatrical release.

Apart from finally taking the character forward after nine years, a Smallville movie might well solve a larger problem. A recent court case over Superman copyright revealed that Warner Bros could be sued by the heirs of the character's co-creator if the studio fails to make another film by 2011.

Such a project would also answer the demand from the fans who want Tom Welling to play Superman on the big screen.

We were given the latest information on the future of the show at San Diego Comic-Con, where Welling made his first appearance at the convention and a preview trailer for Season 9 was screened.

Smallville-hoax-suit.jpgThe Smallville panel was preceded by hoax reports flooding the internet. One said select visitors to Comic-Con were being shown a one-piece blue Superman suit made of leather with red sleeves and side panels, and with no cape or trunks. Another said people were being handed flyers featuring the costume, although the image allegedly on the flyer (pictured right) turned out to be a fan drawing.

As E! Online reports, the truth was revealed when the panel screened footage for Season 9 which showed Clark in a new supersuit: it's all black, not made of spandex, and has a silver Superman logo on the front and a black trenchcoat that doubles as a cape. There is no clear image to show at this point.

The preview footage began with the words 'The world's greatest hero has risen' appearing on screen followed by 'And he is not alone' as all the various guest superheroes flash past. They included Supergirl, even though Laura Vandervoort is not returning to the show.

The sneak peek also showed Callum Blue as Major Zod (he's not yet a general), Brian Austin Green as Metallo, Clark and Lois getting steamy, and Lois fighting in the future.

Notably, everyone on the panel stayed silent when asked if there would be a Smallville movie in the future.

They have a finale planned if this is their last season, but it would change if they are picked up for a tenth run.

In an interview with Matt Dentler's indiewire blog in May, Allison Mack, who plays Chloe Sullivan, believed the show would definitely get a tenth season.

She said: "The latest with Smallville is that we have another season [after this season's finale on May 14]. Tom has signed for two more, so the show will go until season 10."

And she revealed that she would leave in the ninth season: "I will be completed with my contract next year, and I am looking for new and exciting ways to carry out my character's exit."

Many other cast and crew members have left over the years. Executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who developed Smallville, quit after seven seasons and Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer, Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson took over as showrunners.

Slavkin and Swimmer then departed in February (before the end of the eighth season) to produce the new version of TV drama Melrose Place, which premieres on September 9.

That leaves Souders and Peterson in charge of the upcoming Season 9, joined by Welling who is now a co-executive producer.

Many cast members have exited too, including Michael Rosenbaum, Kristin Kreuk, John Glover, Annette O'Toole, John Schneider, Laura Vandervoort and Aaron Ashmore.

With ratings for the show sliding over the years, the creative team will have a challenge ahead, especially with a Friday night slot. USA viewing figures show Smallville's Season 1 attracted 5.9m, peaking at 6.3m for Season 2, then for subsequent seasons declining to 4.96m and 4.4m, up slightly to 4.7m, then down to 4.1m, 3.77m and 3.74m.

And now fans are worried that the show is being moved to Friday nights in the USA, often regarded as the 'death slot' that kills any programme.

It's obvious the series has to evolve - even the name Smallville no longer applies, given that it's almost entirely set in Metropolis, so let's hope this new prototype Superman suit seen in the Comic-Con trailer is just the start of a journey to get the character and the show flying high.

The UK air dates for Season 9 have not yet been announced.

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