THR has revealed that Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have signed a two-year deal with Sony Pictures TV to develop new series for the studio.
“We plan to hit the ground running with a broad range of projects aimed at both network and cable,” Miles Millar told the Hollywood Reporter.
“We are excited by the opportunity to broaden our TV horizons and think the team at Sony Television is the perfect creative fit,” Gough added.
This return to television comes three years after Gough and Millar left Smallville.
Too bad they couldn’t spin a Spider-Man TV series to shoot from the Sony-produced movies…
Stay tuned for more information when and if it becomes available.
29 Comments
This is no surprise to all of us disappointed Smallville fans. The has not been the same sine they left. Smallville has no direction to where the show is headed. I’ve been a fan since 2001 and to watch it now is like watching. Your only child die slowly. Lex left, his father gone, Lana left… its a sad day for fans who watched Clark grow into a man, but a man with no direction.
Its always a telling sign whenever a star of a series become involved in producing, that the show is on its last leg.
Smallville needs to end and it should have ended when the producers called it quits.
I’ve actually enjoyed this season more than any of the previous seasons I believe. I like the kryptonian/history storyline. If you think the show doesn’t have any direction, what other direction do you think the show needs? Did you read the comics? Clark Kent is getting his legs under him being his own man alone in the world and is becoming superman right before our eyes, with a keen interlude to the justice league right in front of us. It’s silly to say the show has no direction. You knew the direction of the show was for him to become Superman and the show has held the hugest carrot (Clark, flying on his own) from us. Just wait. The show continues to impress which is why it gets picked up again for another season.
if you watch smallville from season one again…. lana, lex and his father is back
hehe i’m just saying, i think the show is doing just fine specially with
the last few episodes….more comic book type of scenes(like the blur when
fighting durring raid of the checkmate castle)
still hope we see the blur in his red/blue costume more than a few times before they end it
as for the orignal creators… wonder what they going to do for sony
the thing is that the earlier seasons was all about the kid becomming the man. Now he is the man learning how to just balance his human emotions with his Kryptonian gifts. Look at it this way at least there are no more “freaks of the week” that Clark has to fight.
I have to say that while the last few season were a little lack luster, as in I think they failed badly with Kara and Doomsday, they have made a massive comeback this season with the introduction of the JSA and Checkmate. I have been a big fan of Smallville since it started and I will remain so until the last fade to black(which I hope is of Clark finally fling away in full Superman costume). While Gough and Millar did many things to get this show off the ground, the new crew are doing their job quite nicely.
I would love to see a spin off series with all of the Justice League members. Think it would fill the void for all of us Smallville fans. Just a thought
Are you insane, Maurice?Smallville fans rejoiced when those guys left the show.
I happen to know a few people who work for smallville films (it’s filmed locally) and I’m told that the whole reason the JLA is being introduced is that smallville is reaching the end of it’s course (he can’t become superman without the costume and that was one of smallvilles original promises to fans, no red and blue spandex) but that the show is so popular that they want to keep the market by introducing a justice league show.
Well I’m a big fan of Smallville…i would love to see more of Lois and Clark’s relationship move to a new level. Let’s say Lois is pregnant with Clark’s baby. Just to spice things up in Smallville…
I truly desire that the Smallville television series has taken us so far with the Clark Kent a.k.a Superman series that to wish it to end rather than hope it continually reignites itself is foolish to say the least, we will never have a show that reaches the same heights this show did, it made us proud to be fans. I also have hoped and prayed that we can see Clark in a somewhat traditional superman outfit and for way more than one episode, why stop when it has come so far? For all those fans ridiculing and condemning I advise you again to watch it from the start and remember how powerful it was and can still be
In response to the first and second comment. Its refreshing to see someone with the same perspective maurice. And to chris, the lack of direction he’s talking about isn’t in the plot moving forward, its in the dramatic intelligence of the show. I just watched crusade again last night, and it might as well be a separate production. The performances, the editing, the camera technique and cinematography was far superior than anything they have now. There was a lot more depth to the show. Each interaction was filled with nuance. Now everybody is just flat. Having Martha Kent back really accentuated that fact. She has a gravity that the other characters have lost. Yeah the plot is “going somewhere” but in an insignificant, shallow, and trivial manner. In my opinion, Season 7 episode 1 was the series finale.
I too have been watching Smallville from the beginning and being a DC Comics fan since childhood, I would be terribly dissapointed to NOT see Clark in his Superman costume before the series ends ! I know I’m not the only one that feels this way. I plan on purchasing all of the Smallville episodes on DVD, that is IF the show ends the way most people would want it too ! If Smallville’s ending is a dissapointment, that will mean a loss in sales of Smallville DVDs. So I hope the shows producers forget that bullshit about no tights/no flights !!!!!!!!!
I definitely agree that the series no longer has the intelligence it had when it started, but unlike Nathan, I think it ended (or began to end) as of Crusade. I think the climax of intelligence in the series was what I call the most brilliant scene of the series, that ending montage in Covenant. The days of seeing something like that ended as of that episode. Crusade was the first disappointment for me as a viewer. It felt rushed, things came out of left field without any development, and it started 2 very bad trends that in my opinion has ruined the show. One of those trends was having the inclusion of supporting characters guide the plot (thanks to the appeasement of the characters’ fanbases) rather than having a plot where the supporting characters are used on an as-needed basis where the plot is developed independently. The best example of this is writing the stones plot to include Lana & introducing that stupid witch plot. Before Crusade, that never happened, at least not for a main plot (happened in some fillers). The same thing happened in season 5, when Chloe was suddenly lightswitched into being a hacker. Once that happened, Clark’s portrayal was that of a lazy, mopey moron and the plot greatly suffered as a result. And it kept happening throughout seasons 6 & 7 with Chloe & Lana and in seasons 8 & 9 with Chloe. The other bad trend season 4 started was keeping Clark in the dark about the main threat of the season or not having him do anything about it. The only thing I liked about Crusade were the flight scenes.
One thing I definitely like about the current season is how Clark is progressing again, but his screentime isn’t anything like it once was & the dilution of the show with all those other heroes & characters who steal Clark’s spotlight makes it very hard to watch. Certain aspects are a lot more reminiscent of a Superman show, but the intelligence in writing and plot creation is severely lacking. The dilution of characters who either don’t belong on this show or should have much minor roles is something I despise. It lacks a great deal of subtlety, which also makes it less than credible, especially with the Lois-Clark interaction, which is either feast or famine. The humor in the show also went from natural to forced (with that goofy music playing). And the balance is also lacking, where sometimes the story becomes an insipid love story, which is not what I want to see.
One of my biggest gripes is the total lack of focus on Clark Kent the reporter, something one would expect given how the powers that be never focused on this. I thought once he got to the Planet in season 8 this would change, but it hasn’t. It’s one of the biggest aspects of Clark’s life but hasn’t received any attention so far. We’re told at how great Clark is as a journalist by Perry White but have zero evidence of it since we never got to see him write & submit an actual story that was later printed.
It really kills me that they skipped out on showing Clark & Lois in college during seasons 5-8. Season 5 is the one in which Lois should have been introduced so the stones plot could have been done without having it derailed so often by fillers, many of which mandated the presence of Lois since she would be in 13 episodes that season. Had they saved her for season 5, they could have ditched Lana and had Lois as a full time regular in plots involving reporting, which should have been present since then. Rather, Clark dropped out & went on Lana-standby during seasons 5-7, being on call at the farm for whenever Lana needed to be saved while doing nothing with his life.
I still like the show, but it’s much harder to watch now with all the issues I pointed out above. The simplest thing they can do is make the show & its plots overwhelmingly about Clark again. Make the supporting characters be supporting characters and not elements that mandate the plot of the season. There were episodes in season 2 where big time characters like Chloe didn’t even show up or at most had 1 scene in. Insurgence had no Chloe in it because it didn’t make sense for her to be in it. Memoria only had the opening scene with Lana while the rest of the episode had no other scenes with her.
Anyway, I’ve said more than enough. I hope the finale tomorrow will be good.
Goodie so they can ruin another show like they did Smallville.
How did they “ruin” Smallville? Last I checked the show went on for 10 years, 7 of which were under their watch…
Superman as one of the greatest heroes of all time, makes a lot of sacrifices that no other hero does. he literally fought in hand to hand combat to the death with Doomsday and endures the the obscene amount of pain and near death experiences Kryptonite causes him to accomplish his mission to save lives and make the world a better place.
I think the long drawn out path from Clark Kent, extra terrestrial farm boy, to Superman, the icon who will unite planets and heroes from all over the galaxy is a good solid foundation to fill in the gap that cannon has pretty much ignored until this show drew so much attention to that part of superman’s life — to show us why he has chosen the path of the hero, even when it would be so easy for him to just do whatever he wants to whoever he wants.
that being said, if the show is to maintain high ratings or get better ones, it needs to allow Clark to evolve.
he needs to wear a better costume as Clark — he NEEDS the glasses.
and he needs to to put on the damn cape and start flying.
he may also need to move his fortress, as he does so many times in the comics, since everyone knows where it is now.
I am two ways about it. On the one hand, i feel that the original producers were doing something radical and new with superman. They also had what all great storytellers have: an intensive knowledge of mythology, legends, mysticism, stories, and clearly the great modern works of fiction. In other words, a huge basis to draw from. The Indian Legend related to Clark and Lex, exploring larger questions around good and evil, often siding clearly with Lex, have all gone by the wayside. Now its simple. the good guys, the bad guys. We wonder, are they good, or are some of them good? nope, the last good one was killed, they’ve all decided to have super powers (wouldn’t we all?) and we’re presented that like its a bad thing. And so its just, ultimately another idiotic presentation of a world thats not at all related to our own. ideally myths, films, they come from a place based in truth, higher truths which interact in our own lives. Yo i don’t care what any cynic bastich says, when you see christopher reeve flyin in the films, you do believe a man can fly, end of story.
However, however, I would still hesitate to say that its the end just due to this. It may have become more simplistic, but lately its good. I liked Kara a lot. I like everything up until the end of the last episode of the seventh season. much of the eighth was good. i liked how they made a merging of doomsday and the hulk, in the way they told or retold the doomsday plot, it was rockin.
The only point i thought sucked was the actual episode of the fight. there could have been much better special effects, EVEN on a budget. they could have just done slow motion, and shown them punching each other next to a clock and seen thousands of punches, just a blur of light. instead we get the fight scene from superman 2. only with a pathetic godzilla puppet.
This season in contrast, has less money, and yet the effects are much more believable. I hated Absolute Justice, but then, Geoff Johns is full of it. Its because of his crippling of the superman character, that superman is only a great story when he appears in batman comics. They are so afraid to taint his image with darker stories…like dark knight returns…red son…in the actual continuity, and i see a lot of that in the absolute justice. really corny. STILLL, since absolute justice, i must admit there have been good progress, especially with dialogue. but the lack of momentum, its problematic. There is too many comic relief scenes, and light romantic scenes, and fine, yo, enough. it can be every 4 or 7 episodes, but not every episode. TV these days its full of tons of interlocking storylines and tension. I say smallville, if its not going to have the vibe of heavy myth and doing something new with supes from beginning to end, at least hold more intensity, and let bad things, ACTUALLY happen.
My biggest criqique is that Freak of the Week is back in the tenth season, only now its called DC comics character cameo of the week.
Leon
i meant its back now, in the ninth season
Nathan, you’re on the money. It hadn’t occurred to me, but you’re right about the Martha Kent episode. These are all top level actors, let them act! the whole things, cinematography…on the money.
still, good or bad, for whatever reason, i’m in. i will watch every episode till the end…
Really, Gough and Millar painted themselves in a corner when the introduced Lex to Clark Without his glasses. I have to agree with comment 4 by jamie the freak of the week was getting really old but when they shed that anchor they wrote like Dickens. Studying the show you see that all of the threads from almost every episode would all come together. In the beginning they had that in spurts, it reminded me of X-Files( i just wanted him to find his sister). Most shows where like a daily variety show that had little to any impact on the series as whole. Latter episodes fixed that.
I couldn’t fathom undertaking writing for a character that has had so many iterations in comics and film. Fanboys argue with little things like tidbit origins and to tell you the truth one would really have to reinvent the mythos that is Superman.
As for why they don’t really focus on Lois and Clark’s reporting day is that there was show that did that already it was called “Lois an Clark”. Granted Superman the animated series dealt with more abstract/comic themes, the purpose of Smallville was to put a more real spin on Clark. The comics almost made him a God here you get to see that he makes mistakes like anybody. You really had focus on the relationship between Lana and clark by Season 4 I was like Lois Who? Again this is the problem, how do you tell a story when you know the ending? Too many people try to judge the writers and the producers but when when your trying to appeal to the broadest audience possible I hope you can make the show as appealing as Smallville is. FYI Smallville has yet to jump the shark so I will keep watching.
Gough And Millar I would like to help out with a LOBO series. Anybody who kicks superman in the groin and lives is the Main Man!
Smallville is the greatest soap opera ever made. I love it.
Just finished watching the season finale and we were on the edge of our seats! Now that Zod and the Kandorians are gone I hope we will get back into the real development of Superman and his storyline. I too want to see the cape & glasses routine (without anymore shadows or make shift mask) for more than just a series finale shot! I too want to see Kara developed more and some more Lana. And what do we do about Jimmy and Perry White’s characters? I think we need at least 2 more seasons to wrap up these loose ends to the comics. Shouldn’t we resurrect Doomsday? In the comic books Lex had a son. Is he coming to Smallville or doomed to stay in the comics? If Smallville ends and Clark’s story goes unfinished, I would like to see a spin off of the Justice League to continue his character. Lots to go on here, guys. We love ya’ Clark, keep it going!
the producers gave a hint to who the baddie was goin to be in season ten, if the real fans of the comics and the shows were to pay attention they would see in the season finale at the begining clark was having a dream, of being in the future (2013), lois was looking at the paper u saw whos face on it Lexs and they also mentioned olsen (jimmy) and on the paper it says that Lex up for president (hints season 7 clones) because we all know lex is not that stupid to be killed the way he was, espically by the green arrow, and also mid way through the episode if u noticed lois was at her desk in the daily planet and over her right shoulder u can see none other than a bald headed man who never turns around (thinking back to when lex bought the planet ” and who tess inherited it from him, cause lex is always watching”) my main question is who was that, that went into tess room after she “died” could it have been jor el, like as we saw in season 5-6 with lionel and being a vessel. also, who saves clark at the end kara who says she is always watching over him, martha a loving mother and makes the suit out of the blanket in which he arrived in on the planet (in the comics), lana who is infused with green kryptonite which neutrolizes blue and she said she will never be far, tess who was in the fortress before the zod destroyed it and if u noticed the fortress was still glowing while clark and zod were in there talking, or martian man hunter who has the ability to heal clark by flying him to the sun, or chole who was told by dr fate that they walk the same path in which he healed john jones in the episode with the justice society, and will that make her purpose greater. but either way you u might as well face it lex is back. so will clark get the legion ring and turn back the hands of time on earth and bring back jimmy and stop oliver from “killing” lex., and whats going on with ollie what was it in the vents if it wasnt kandorians. now that lois knows clarks secret did she get ahold of chloe and tell, to try and save him some? or could this be pawns in lexs sadistic game of chess CHECK MATE?!
TO ALL PEOPLE DISSING THE SHOW AND THE DIRECTION IT IS GOIN IN MUST NOT KNOW WAHT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT FOR ONE CASS1258 HELLO SUPERMAN CAN NOT IMPREGNATE LOIS IF U READ THE WHAT IF COMICS THE BABY KICKS THROUGH HER BACK AND BESIDES THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY… GET WITH IT ITS ABOUT KAL EL EMBRACING HIS DESTINY TO SAVE EARTH…NEXT FOR CINAMATOGRAPHY AND SPECIAL EFFECTS THERE GOOD BUT ITS A BOUT THE STORY ITS NOT MEANT TO DAZZEL U WTIH WHAT PRODUCER OR DIRECTOR HAS MOR MONEY IT HOW WELL THEY WRITE THE STORY AND REGARDLESS TO HOW YOU LOOK AT THERE ALWAYS HAS TO BE LEX LOIS AND CLARK (SUPERMAN) LOIS IS THE ONE WHO GAVE HIM THE NAME IN SUPERMAN THE ORIGINAL MOVIE IF U DONT LIKE THE DIRECTION THE STORY IS GOIN MAYBE U SHOULD WATCH SPIDERMAN 1 2 3 CAUSE APPEARNTLY U DONT KNOW WHAT U ARE TALKING ABOUT I HEAR STAN LEE AND MARVEL WOULD LOVE TO HAVE UR CRITICS ON THE LOVE STORY AND CINAMATOGRAPHY THANK YOU VERY MUCH
PAY ATTENTION……………….WATCH PAST EPISODES REMEMBER THE PAST………………AND LESSON JOR EL GAVE…………IF U ARE JUST WATCHING THE SHOW AND HAVENT SEEN THE ORIGINAL MOVIES MAYBE U SHOULD THINK ABOUT DOING SO ITS LEADING UP TO WHAT IT IS SUPOSE TO BE STARTING FROM THE ROOTS AND WORKING ITS WAY TO WHAT ITS MEANT TO BE ……..LEX VS. SUPERMAN
Chris: I guess this gets into the area where everything is relative. Granted they made bad decisions with the show in season 4 but it worked for fans, others not. Crusade was actually the episode that hooked me on Smallville. The first one I watched. I saw Clark and Martha out on the farm, heard the words “Clark Kent is Dead”. Watched him take off and that was that. I watched the first 3 seasons as a catch up to the 4th. So the 4,5,6 probably appealed to me more partly because the characters were in a more advanced place than they were in their younger days. That being said, there was a little too much mopeyness in season 6.
I did like some of the focus they placed on other characters, but I agree that Clark should be the focus throughout. Now it just sucks so bad I don’t care. I still watch it, because of how good the first 6 seasons were for me. But very passively. Before I was on the edge of my seat, now its like I’m flipping through the tabloids. You’re right; they shouldn’t have skipped college years. I would’ve liked to see that too.And the development of Clark and Lois as a reporters? Quite basic. Their chemistry is also not as good as it was in 4 and 5. They’re more passive and sappy now. It was more appealing when Lois had spark, spunk, and attitude.
Leon: Totally agree with the power of myth in telling a story. It’s a necessity. The reason I was drawn to Smallville was because it was about something more; the power of truth and lies, the desire to create one’s own destiny, the inevitability of fate. And all that e evaporated for me in the 7th season. Gough and Millar were still there, but I’m guessing there was a lot of turbulence behind the scenes and that’s why the show suffered dramatically. The last Clark and Lex scene, the Climax of the most dynamic and intriguing part of the show was a complete dud. I cut him some slack but I blame Michael Rosenbaum. I’m guessing the seven years of getting to set an hour earlier than everyone else to shave his head had taken its toll. The writing was rotting so its easy to see why he gave up half way through season 7. Nevertheless his performances were one of the gems of Smallville. You are right; they are limited financially. But there are lower budget productions that are more intelligent.
Marbil: Arguments are more effective when they’re not in caps lock. Having periods helps too. The director, the producer, the cinematographer, and writer are just as important as the actors. It’s a collaborative effort, not a one man show. Everything has to be going on all cylinders for a show to be fantastic. The camera tells a story of its own with the way it moves and the things it focuses on. The editing sets the pace, the lighting sets the mood. Trust me, if you shot with bad equipment and incapable crew Smallville wouldn’t hold your attention for a second.
I think the show is moving a long nicely. Nothing can stay the same. Clark isn’t that confused awkward boy anymore. He is mature and accepts his destiny. I don’t think the show has lost it’s way at all. And the show has been more fun since the creative team has changed. Lana needed to go. it was time. Lois IS Clark’s destiny just as much as Superman is. Is this really a big surprise to people? Lois has only been his counterpart since 1938!
Marbil: I think the person who went into Tess’ room wan Granny Goodness and I think what happened to Oliver was Parademons. It’s a hint that Darkseid is coming. I’m thinking season 10 will be fantastic, fun, and rich with DC history. How can you not love that?!
Marbil: Have you watched the Superman Return (the movie)???duh….
I don’t usually leave comments, but after reading through these few, i’m confused as to where some of you think this show should go! It took a fair bit of pushing by my son(at the time 14 years old and a mad reader of my old comic collection) to get me to watch Smallville as i was an avid reader of Superman as a kid. 25 cents a comic for a world of wonder and fantasy, what more did a boy need in the 60’s/70’s? So i was reluctant to try an updated version. My attitude changed pretty quickly after watching the first season. To my wonder they updated him yes; but all the legend, plus a bit more fleshing out of storylines from the past, made me realise that this was in its base level the Superman story of the past without the Superboy section( which was always for some reason seperate). Through the 9 seasons we have watched we have our incredible ep and our not so, but, the Clark Kent/blur can only go one way….. and i assume that will happen in season 10, but to say that when creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar left the show, that Smallville was aimlessly floundering around is..well ..the story can only be so much and to go off track now and you lose what it is. An incredible tail to skip away from reality for a while.