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Smallville Preview: Will Lana Rock Clark's World?
Kristin Kreuk, Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum by Timothy White/The CW
In Part 2 of TVGuide.com's Smallville preview, exec producers Brian Peterson and Todd Slavkin give their take on Season 8 (which arrives Sept. 18) by talking about the return of Green Arrow and offering an update on important people in Clark's life (Lex, Lana and Martha included). Plus: Which DC Universe players you will and won't be seeing this year. Michael Maloney
TVGuide.com: How did the WGA strike affect your storytelling last season?
Brian Peterson: We were only short two episodes; we did 20 out of the 22 [originally planned]. We actually got to complete most of our storylines that we set, especially the dynamics with Clark and Lex and also Lex and Lionel, including the final turn of Lex killing his father.
TVGuide.com: It was tough seeing John Glover leave, because he made such a great Lionel.
Todd Slavkin: John's a great actor and a great man we miss him dearly but it was always in the cards that Lex murdering his father would aid in his descent into evil. [Original show runners] Al [Gough] and Miles [Millar] had always had that idea. Still, it was tough to do.
TVGuide.com: I was telling Justin Hartley that I hope his return to the show as a regular means more Oliver and Lois. It's a successful pairing, even though it's outside the comic-books' mythos.
Peterson: Al and Miles really set up a show in which every character and every situation has a slight twist to it from the mythos, much like the different versions of the comic books do. We really pay attention to the mythos, but then try to put a spin on it. This year, we're introducing Davis Bloome (Battlestar Galactica's Sam Witwer) as Doomsday [the comic book villain that "killed" Superman in 1992], and we have a completely different take on it. As the season goes by, people will find he's very much in line with the mythology.
TVGuide.com: But Doomsday won't have the concrete jagged edges coming out of his body?
Slavkin: It's a reimagination and a reinvention. We didn't want to take a character straight out of the comics, just as Al and Miles took Lex and created their very own version, which, in our minds, is the best version of any Lex Luthor in the history of the Superman folklore. We're doing the same thing with Doomsday. So while we definitely make a nod to the original, this is our own. I think the fans will be pleasantly excited.
TVGuide.com: What can you say about the statuses of Kristin Kreuk (Lana) and Michael Rosenbaum (Lex)? I have to say, Michael makes every actor he's in a scene with a better one.
Peterson: Michael is fantastic. His rendition of Lex Luthor helped make the show what it is today. Obviously, we were very sad to see him go. He's pursuing his own interests and we're hoping the door is definitely open for him to return. We've not seen the last of Lex Luthor.
Slavkin: Kristin will return for at least five episodes this season. [Lana] will appear at an inopportune time for Clark. We don't want to give away when it will happen, but it's going to be an awesome moment in the history of Smallville when Kristin Kreuk comes back.
TVGuide.com: Great casting with Black Canary last year. And her "Canary cry" was well-done, special effects-wise.
Peterson: Alaina [Huffman] is great and she's a big part of the season premiere. This is a year in which Clark is really embracing being a superhero and his double identity, but at the same time some of his friends in the Justice League are thrown into crises of their own. It's going to be an interesting year as Clark grows into himself.
TVGuide.com: What about Impulse and Cyborg? Tom Welling easily taps into Clark's protective side whenever he plays big brother to Impulse.
Slavkin: Clark's such a great role model. He has a sense of integrity about himself that he always passes on to young characters. The actors who play Impulse and Cyborg are phenomenal and we'd love to have them back sometime. In the premiere it's an incarnation of the Justice League that you've yet to see: Black Canary, Green Arrow and Aquaman (Alan Ritchson). The three of them are all searching for the missing Clark.
Peterson: That takes an interesting twist, too.
TVGuide.com: Annette O'Toole's Martha is a vital element in Clark's life. Might she be back?
Peterson: We're hoping. We actually have a very interesting idea for bringing her back. We hope it comes to fruition.
Slavkin: She's on Broadway right now [in Kindness], so if we can fit her into our schedule that would be great. She's a character we miss dearly because Ma Kent, like Pa Kent, has had such an impact on Clark.
TVGuide.com: Have we seen the last of Supergirl/Kara (Laura Vandervoort)?
Slavkin: She'll be back for a show, we hope.
TVGuide.com: Has DC said no to Bruce Wayne ever appearing on Smallville? Apparently, there's this movie out now featuring Batman....
Slavkin: It's a rights issue.
Peterson: We are going to have several DC Comics characters on the show this season. We have Maxima coming. Also, Plastique is going to be in Episode 2 [played by Jessica Parker Kennedy]. She has flame/explosive powers.
Slavkin: There's nothing better than to have an intergalactic sex goddess Maxima come into the DC Universe and have her try to mate with Clark.
TVGuide.com: How about for an episode introducing a beautiful blond telepath, a dark-haired guy with magnetic powers and a reddish-brown haired guy with lightning powers to play the founding members of the Legion of Superheroes?
Peterson: [Exchanging a look with Slavkin] We haven't thought about that actually. Hmm....
Related:
Smallville Scoop, Part 1: Chloe's Challenges and More!
First Look: The Smallville/Supernatural Comic-Con Bag
Smallville's Justice League Returns! Plus Clark Gets a Desk Job
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Jul 24, 2008 11:26 AM
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AH! Legion mention! To bad nothing is happening with that. I'd love to see Clark met Mon-El.
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Jul 24, 2008 12:23 PM
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Thanks for the microscopic infos about Clark/Tom. It's very disappointing from a Clark fan point of view and in case you don't know it, there ARE Clark fans out there.
From what I can gather so far, everything happens to everyone around him and he will be standing in the middle of the DP floor doing nothing and waiting for people to tell him what to do.
Not to forget Lana's HISTORIC return on the show. Puh-lease. Can you AT LEAST not make Clark mopey/guilty/sad/not over Lana, during HER historic moment? I hope a little dignity for Clark is not too much to ask.
Oh, and to be fair, Lois/Erica is even more ignored than Clark/Tom if possible.
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Jul 24, 2008 12:55 PM
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I'm really glad we'll see Black Canary again--there needs to be some female Justice Leaguers, and since it doesn't look like we'll ever see a certain Amazonian princess, I'm happy to see my favorite superheroine gets some screen time.
But can we PLEASE ditch the stupid black "make-up/mask" and get the girl some extensions or something? THEN this would be a totally spot-on Black Canary.
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Jul 24, 2008 12:58 PM
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Thanks for the interview, but I have to say I'm extremely disappointed about the complete lack of Lois questions. She's mentioned in one question that didn't even get an answer. Just because there's an extremely vocal group of Chloe fans that love to bash Lois that doesn't mean there aren't also a lot of us Lois fans out there. I don't mind Chloe getting a few questions but it's very annoying that Lois is ignored again.
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Jul 24, 2008 1:15 PM
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I'm not even going to talk about this Chloe/Lois fight that's going on, but this caught my eye: "We have Maxima coming."
HAH! I SO knew the 'female adversary' the teased us with a few months ago had to be Maxima. Looking forward to that aspect.
And I'm perfectly fine with Bruce Wayne not appearing--besides, at this stage of his life, he's in the Far East, for his martial arts training with Yuro-Sensei.
~Sangeeta
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Jul 24, 2008 2:03 PM
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They're going to try and bring Martha back? AWESOME.
And I am intrigued about Lana's return.
Sadly, their answers mostly felt like a lot of posturing. Not enough concrete info about this season.
And I would've liked to see more about what exactly Clark or Lois would be up to.
Thanks for the interview though! Two parts is a lot questions to ask!
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Jul 24, 2008 2:11 PM
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My question is why does Lana need to come back at all? She left, quite rightly, for Clark's own good. Honestly, that's all the closure I needed. If we spend sweeps with Clark whining/moping about Lana AGAIN, I am not going to be a happy camper. Maybe Lois can tell her off or something? That would be awesome.
As for the JL, I'm glad that Clark's going to have more interaction with them. Hopefully, he'll get off his duff and DO SOMETHING for a change. That would be nice. Clark needs to see the larger picture and Ollie and the gang can help with that. I have to say that I wasn't terribly impressed with the Black Canary though. Hopefully, she wouldn't be around much. I definitely want Bart and Victor though.
Is there a Part 3 to this? I'm hoping that's where the Lois questions are. Chloe had her time now it's Lois's turn.
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Jul 24, 2008 2:13 PM
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I REALLY HOPE THIS WRITERS GIVE A GOOD STORYLINE FOR LANA, AND NOT MORE DRAMA IN HER RELATIONSHIP WITH CLARK. LANA AND CLARK HAVE EVERYTHING TO HAVE A GOOD STORY TOGETHER BUT THIS WRITERS DOESN'T SEE IT. I HOPE LANA PUSH CLARK IN HIS DESTINY AND CLARK FIRST FLIES TO BE WITH LANA.
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Jul 24, 2008 2:18 PM
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kchez: "Maybe Lois can tell her off or something?"
Yeah...something along the lines of "You had your chance...sister." LOL.
I SO Hope the new people can get Martha to come back--and not just for one minute on screen, either. If they can get her for a FULL episode, I want to see her more than ONCE on the episode.
scar_89: "I REALLY HOPE THIS WRITERS GIVE A GOOD STORYLINE FOR LANA, AND NOT MORE DRAMA IN HER RELATIONSHIP WITH CLARK. LANA AND CLARK HAVE EVERYTHING TO HAVE A GOOD STORY TOGETHER BUT THIS WRITERS DOESN'T SEE IT. I HOPE LANA PUSH CLARK IN HIS DESTINY AND CLARK FIRST FLIES TO BE WITH LANA."
This is NOT going to happen. They've been together, and guess what? It didn't work out. Let me repeat that: It.Didn't.Work.Out.
As much as Smallville is its own Cannon, they aren't going to deviate too much from it--meaning it'll be Lois Clark ends up with.
And I have a request: Can those posters who comment in ALL CAPS, not do so? I feel like I'm being yelled at. Thank you.
~Sangeeta
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Jul 24, 2008 2:32 PM
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How can they have never thought of the Legion? It's one of the oldest Superman ideas and would have been perfect for this show. And that can easily lead to a Mon-El episode. Was the Legion so obvious that they missed it?
I think at this point that having Bruce in there wouldn't be worth it. It might have worked a few seasons ago when they were both teens but now I just don't care as much. Having them meet older and in costume would be more momentous. And as for Diana, what would the youngest memeber of a hidden race of female warriors be doing in Kansas? While a plot could be contrived for that, it would be pushing it.
I'm at the point where I don't even want DC's Big Three to meet until they are in costume a few years later. The window for them meeting as as youngsters has closed.
Out of the core members, I think they're only missing Hal Jordan for the Justice League, right?
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Jul 24, 2008 2:38 PM
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coverdale: "And as for Diana, what would the youngest memeber of a hidden race of female warriors be doing in Kansas?"
I must have missed something because I didn't see any reference to Diana. Maxima, is NOT part of Diana's world, but hails from another world in another galaxy. At least, in the DC Comics.
~Sangeeta
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Jul 24, 2008 2:51 PM
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Interesting interview, but a bit guarded and vague. It sounds good, but it also sounds like a bit too much soapy drama again. What is going to be so awesome about Lana Lang's return??? More drama again? And the last interview had way too much on Chloe, we want to hear about Clark, lots and lots about our boy.
As far as Lois goes, she's in 12 too many episodes. She can go far away on assigment for a very long time and save me the hassle of fast forwarding her scenes. I've never like this character's depiction from day one and it just gets worse. I also don't care for the actress's style of acting as well. And I'm not going to like her just because it is Lois Lane. Characters have to make sense to me and she, with her all of a sudden googly eyes at Clark, doesn't make sense. Talk about shoving her down our throats.
I say sink all the ships and get going on Clark's journey ending.
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Jul 24, 2008 2:59 PM
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I just want to add that my earlier comment was not meant to be about Chloe vs. Lois because I'm beyond sick and tired about that "war", as I'm sure lots of Lois AND Chloe fans are. It's just that I've come across so much Lois-bashing and it seems that any time Chloe or Lois are mentioned someone has to bash Lois, so I get defensive. I don't want to bash Chloe, I just want to say that there are lots of people out there who like Lois. I hope they write some good stuff for both Lois and Chloe, as well as all the other characters. And I hope they remember that the most important character is Clark.
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Jul 24, 2008 3:27 PM
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I don't know if they could have a GL in the team, the cost of the effects would probably be much too high. If they did, though, here are my suggestions since GL is my all time favorite super hero.
Hal Jordan is still the best Green Lantern, but if they brought in a GL, I hope it would be Kyle Rayner. John Stewart is great and was awesome in Justice League cartoons, but Kyle would fit the "young" team. Also, in keeping with a "diverse" Justice League, Kyle is Hispanic. JL already has an African American in Cyborg, so while there's nothing wrong with having more than one, Kyle gives them a chance for another minority. Also, I've always loved the idea of an artist wielding the Power Ring, since it's all based on the wearer's will and imagination.
Just my 2 cents. I doubt we'd ever see a GL on Smallville, but much like hoping for Clark to end up with Chloe in this "Universe," I can hope for a GL appearance too.
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Jul 24, 2008 4:21 PM
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