Advertisement
Alfred Gough, a well-known name in the entertainment industry and the co-creator of Smallville, recently opened up about why the highly anticipated animated follow-up to the beloved series has been put on hold.
Speaking on the Talk Ville podcast, Gough explained that Warner Bros.’ ongoing changes and their current focus on rebooting Superman have temporarily sidelined the Smallville project. “Warner Bros. has been going through a lot of transitions, and since they’re in the middle of launching a new Superman movie, unfortunately, that pushes our project off the table for now,” he shared.
While chatting with podcast hosts Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling—both stars of Smallville—Gough also mentioned another factor that could be causing delays. He recently heard that Warner Bros. is also planning a reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for Hulu, which could be taking up additional studio resources and attention.
Beyond that, Gough pointed to the major leadership shake-up at Warner Bros. in 2022 as another reason why Smallville’s animated continuation is facing roadblocks. When James Gunn and Peter Safran were appointed as co-CEOs of DC Studios, they were tasked with reshaping the entire DC Universe. According to Gough, this kind of regime change often leads to projects being put on hold or delayed indefinitely as the new leadership decides which direction to take the brand.
For those unfamiliar, Smallville—created by Gough and Miles Millar—was a hit CW series that ran for 10 seasons and 217 episodes. The show followed a young Clark Kent, played by Tom Welling, as he learned to control his superpowers while growing up in the town of Smallville.
Meanwhile, the upcoming Superman reboot, directed by James Gunn, is set to serve as the launchpad for the new DC Studios universe. The film stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. Fans can expect it to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.