Each week, dashfun.net looks back on the secrets of a cult series. Today, let’s dive back into the special atmosphere of Smallville, a small town in the depths of Kansas that experienced a meteor shower in 1989. Jonathan and Martha Kent then discovered an alien vessel in which a child was locked up. three years. A boy who fell from the sky that they decided to raise as their own son.
Small town but great destiny
Years later, Clark Kent, camped by the talented Tom Welling, tries to live a normal life. Indeed, the latter learned to hide his extraordinary powers from the eyes of his friends Chloe (Allison Mack) and Pete (Sam Jones). Ditto for those of Lana (Kristin Kreuk), far from leaving him indifferent, and the mysterious Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum). So must he make enormous personal sacrifices to put his powers at the service of good and become the acclaimed hero of all: Superman.
Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, Smallville takes place in 218 episodes of 42 minutes. Centered on the youth of the man of steel, the first seven seasons were broadcast in France for the first time between January 4, 2003 and October 19, 2008 in the Saturday Trilogy on M6. Multiple award-winning series spawned a series of novels for young adults as well as a bimonthly comic book by DC Comics, with soundtrack recordings and products related to the series.
Recall that the pilot episode broke an audience record for The WB with 8.4 million viewers. Over ten seasons, Smallville attracted on average 4.34 million viewers per episode, with the second season being the highest rated at 6.3 million. Beyond having supported the series from its inception, former Superman star Christopher Reeve made two appearances before his death. Ditto for Dean Cain (Lois and Clark: Chilling Adventures of Superman) which appeared in the seventh season.
It’s hard to imagine another actor in the skin of the endearing Clark Kent played by Tom Welling. However, if the latter had withdrawn, the role would immediately go to Jensen Ackles. Known for his roles in Dark Angel (2001 – 2002) and Dawson (2002 – 2003), the actor from Dallas has, failing to have obtained the main role, camped Lana’s boyfriend from 2004 to 2005 in the famous series. Jason Teague, his character from Paris illustrated himself during the twenty-two episodes of the fourth season. The actor subsequently gained worldwide notoriety by portraying Dean Wichester in supernatural, this from 2005 to 2020. It is during an interview given to the comic book number 11 of Smallville that Ackles said:
I was pretty close to getting the part, only Tom and I were left in the race. We spoke to the channel several times and they finally set their sights on Tom. Which seemed logical to me because he plays the part perfectly. Looking back at the first three seasons, I would say they made the right choice.
Ready to attack season 3 of Lucifer, Tom Welling confided in our colleagues from Entertainment Weekly. The opportunity for the actor to come back to the series that made him known to the general public. And more particularly on the reason he hardly wore the Man of Steel costume.
The story of the Superman costume is something we discussed with the creators of Smallville even before turning the pilot. I asked them if I would ever wear this famous costume, the tights and if I would steal. They immediately told me it was no. For them, Smallville was mostly the story of a teenager trying to figure out who he is.
Many were disappointed not to discover Clark Kent more as Superman. Indeed, the fans could only have had a preview during the long-awaited grand finale. Remember … Clark goes to the Fortress of Solitude and has a final conversation with his father, Jor-El. He then receives the costume that Martha had made for him and flies to push Apokolips back into space. The final scene also offers a nod to Christopher Reeve, while the superhero finally opens his shirt to reveal the famous S.
The designers felt that once Clark put on his cape and costume, life would become too simple. They wanted to focus on who this character was before all that. And at the time, because of the level of special effects and stunts, it would have cost too much. This is…
