‘Smallville’: The creators reflect on the mistakes they made and how they will correct them if they could

In 2011 we stopped seeing Superman grow up: ‘Smallville’ concluded the series after ten years after the young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and his double life as a man of steel. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, creators Al Gough and Miles Millar, who are also behind the success of “Wednesday,” look back on the series premiere twenty years and reflect on what they would do differently now. In particular, the failures in the relationship between the protagonist and Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk), a couple that fans called “Clana”, stand out.

“Clark and Lana Lasted Too Long”says Gough. “There must be something else. I think it’s gotten a bit repetitive”. His little daughter, who is watching the second season of ‘Smallville’, asked him: “What’s wrong with these?”. “It was a different time”, he replies. It is clear that, if they made the series now, they would be taking more risks: “We would probably be a little more adventurous with some of these relationships and bring them to an end and let them go on.”. For Miller, the problem was also being too preemptive: “We were very cautious and aware of wanting to go to five seasons, and eventually we got to ten, but we were like, ‘Okay, if we split them, what are we going to do?'”.

Millar now has daughters and it’s clear he would drastically change the female characters, especially Lana, who seemed to have no power or authority: “She could have been a much stronger character, and always seemed to be put in a position of weakness”. While aware that it was another era, he states so “It’s something that I think we could have done and that, without a doubt, we would like to improve”. That’s why “Wednesday”, her most recent project, features much more powerful characters, from the protagonist herself to her mother, passing through the director of the boarding school, her roommate or the antagonist. Moreover, the creators emphasize this it is precisely on the friendship between Wednesday and Enid that the second season will focuswhich is not yet confirmed. “The show is really about that female friendship”says Gough.

Rebooting Smallville?

In the age of reboots, spinoffs, and sequels, the creators are clear on whether or not to refocus ‘Smallville’: “To be honest, no. I think we told that story”says Gough. Millar points out that novelties that included Superman’s story would not be allowed now. He admits that the strong opinions of fans “They led us to self-censorship, but even so we had the privilege of having that moment where we were free to do what we wanted, and it was incredible and very liberating”. concludes that it is “categorical” that they wouldn’t be allowed to do the series they wanted to do.

All ten seasons of ‘Smallville’ are available on Prime Video and HBO Max.