Summary

• Rosenbaum is still excited about the potential for an animated Smallville sequel series.
• The issue is timing. With so much change going on at DC, the show would need to be formally pitched at the right time.
• The Smallville sequel series could explore the story from the "Smallville Season 11" comic in a potentially long-running animated format.

Tom Welling's Superman finally took it to the skies. However, in the current age of beloved TV series getting resurrected for reboots or revivals, many have always been wondering if Smallville could ever get to that point.

During an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Smallville's Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor in live-action longer than anyone else, was asked about the animated sequel show that he and Welling were developing alongside the original show creators. Rosenbaum stressed that it is "a great idea" but also something that needs to happen at "the right time," sharing the following about Smallville's potential chances of coming back as an animated series:

Screen Rant: Something that I know many of us at Screen Rant always wonder about is the potential of the show coming back. I know you and Tom spoke a year or two ago about this, but you guys were developing a Smallville animated series with the cast and creators. I know last year the strikes probably forced it to get put on pause. But is there any update you can provide us with?

Michael Rosenbaum: All I could share is that it's a great idea. We have Al and Miles, the creators of Smallville backing us up. When it's the right time, we'd like to go and do this; pitch to Warner Bros. It has to be the right time, and right now is not the right time. We had the strike, we had a change of executives at DC — one being one of my best friends in the world, James Gunn. When the time's right, I think it's something that's a no brainer, unless they have other ideas. We'd like to do it — the whole cast would like to do it. They would voice their own character from the show, and we have a concept of what the show is.

How An Animated Show Could Be The Best Continuation For Smallville

The idea of Smallville getting an animated sequel series could actually be far better than getting it in live-action. With animation, Smallville wouldn't have to worry about budget concerns, as they could have more action and storylines included. It would also likely be a lot easier to get all of the actors together to voice their characters than to figure out a schedule that would work if it were live-action.

A hypothetical Smallville animated show could also lean into adapting the season 11 comic series, which is canon to The CW drama. Not only is there enough material to produce multiple episodes for a Smallville revival, but the writers could create their own stories after they have finished the season 11 arc. With Smallville's DC Universe being bigger than ever, thanks to the comic, an animated sequel could theoretically last for several seasons.

Obviously, if Smallville was given a chance to return in live-action format, that would be the biggest victory for the audience. But it is more likely that a Smallville animated show will get greenlit, which could also be a solid way to expand DC's animation library, especially in the new age of DC Studios. Hopefully, there will be a time in the near future when the Smallville actors get to return as their characters in one way or another.

New episodes of Michael Rosenbaum's podcasts, Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum and Talk Ville Podcast, drop every Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, on YouTube and every available podcast platform.