Summary
- Smallville’s creators considered the possibility that Chloe Sullivan could become Lois Lane, but ultimately got Erica Durance for the role.
- Erica Durance’s chemistry with Tom Welling was just as effective as that of Allison Mack, but Lois and Clark’s relationship was different.
- Smallville could potentially continue in some way, as Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum are developing an animated series with much of the original cast.
Smallville‘s creators finally confirm that a popular fan theory about Lois Lane is not entirely wrong, as it was considered by the writers of the successful series based on the Superman universe.
Making its debut in 2001, Smallville told the story of Clark Kent during his adolescence, years before he put on the blue suit and became the hero of Metropolis. The series featured a long list of characters from the Superman franchise, such as Lex Luthor and Lana Lang, but also some new ones, such as Chloe Sullivan, played by Allison Mack. Chloe was the editor of the school newspaper, The Torch, and Clark’s best friend. In addition, she was madly in love with him, and the relationship between them generated much speculation among fans about Chloe being a replacement for Lois Lane, Clark’s great love in the comic book pages. And it seems they weren’t wrong.
Smallville
- Release Date
- October 16, 2001
- Cast
- Tom Welling, Cassidy Freeman, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley
- Genres
- Drama, Superhero
- Seasons
- 10
In a recent conversation on the TalkVille podcast, hosted by Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum, series’ creators Miles Millar and Al Gough reveal that they considered that option:
“We did talk about that, that maybe [Chloe] is the proto-Lois and that later on she had to change her identity or something like that, and she becomes Lois Lane. The issue, again, was we wanted to get Lois Lane, and they wouldn’t give her to us. And then when she came in in Season 4, there was this huge thing about, ‘you can have her for two episodes,’ and then, ‘you can have her for three,’ and then, ‘you can have her for half the season,’ and [then-Warner Bros. Television president] Peter Roth, to his credit, was like, ‘f–k it. She’s in the show now, and she’s just not leaving.”
In the end, Lois was played by Erica Durance, whose chemistry with Welling was just as effective as that of Welling and Mack, although the relationship between the characters was very different from that of Clark and Chloe. In the early seasons, however, Clark’s real romantic interest was Lana Lang, played by Kristen Kreuk. The romance between Lois and Clark became relevant towards the end of the series, especially when both started working at The Daily Planet.
Smallville Could Return with an Animated Series
Smallville ran for ten seasons, with a total of 217 episodes, and the finale featured Clark wearing the Superman suit for the first time, making it clear that this chapter of the story was over. But that doesn’t mean the story can’t continue in some way. While both Durance and Welling had the opportunity to reprise their characters in the Arrowverse crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths, the idea of continuing Smallville has been on the minds of several of those involved in the show.
A few years ago, Welling confirmed that he and Rosenbaum were developing an animated series that would bring back much of the original cast. Whether Mack would be one of those to return is doubtful, considering her personal legal issues and recent release from prison. There have been very few updates on that project’s future recently, but it has likewise not yet said to have been canceled, so there is still a chance that it will one day see the light of day.
