EXCLUSIVE: KryptonSite has learned that Prime Video and Sony looking to give Marvel their own equivalent to Smallville… and they are recruiting some Smallville veterans to make it happen. Full details are expected to hit trade publications this week, but we feel so confident about this that we’re posting what we’ve heard a few days early.

Prime Video has been one of the most successful outlets for comic book adaptations in recent years. The Boys has been a phenomenon that has spun off the also very successful (and good!) Gen V. They also have the animated Invincible which explores the world of characters created by Robert Kirkman. But this next prospect is a character who is arguably as big and iconic as Superman. We are, of course, speaking about Spider-Man. Not Silk, not Spider-Man Noir… full on Peter Parker Spider-Man.

Our sources tell us that seasons of Spider-Man (working title) will be released on a weekly basis with no less than 20 episodes per season, possibly split into 10-episode chunks, and while we don’t know which Smallville writers specifically are lined up for this project, we do note that Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar were also involved in what was arguably the best live-action Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man 2, and that they are currently showrunning Wednesday which has MGM Television as one of its production companies.

Because this is taking on the story from the beginning, this Spider-Man series is not tied to the MCU or Sony’s “Spider-Man Universe,” nor will it conflict with future films which are telling their own tale. We have been told that Peter Parker is Spider-Man at least at the show’s inception, and that characters like Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, Flash Thompson and J. Jonah Jameson will be around from the start. Futures season could include characters from the Spider-Man universe including Venom, Miles Morales, the Green Goblin, Madame Web, Jessica Drew, and more, with different takes from what we saw in the films. With 20-episode seasons, there is a lot that could be developed slowly rather than expecting audiences to get absorbed into a character or concept with only two hours of time.

Should it go to series, Spider-Man will have some additional advantages: In order to accomplish the web-slinging on a reasonable budget, the show will use technology and dynamics seen in the recent PS5 Spider-Man games with additional enhancement from a high-profile visual effects studio. This will not entirely replace practical effects but should be able to keep the episodes coming in on time. Additionally, Prime Video and MGM+ made a deal with Disney and Marvel which will allow Spider-Man to be released on Disney+ and the Freeform cable outlet after each run of episodes has completed; in return, some characters such as Cloak and Dagger or The Kingpin will be loaned to the show for possible appearances in that world. It is anticipated that now, with Spider-Man leading the charge, projects like Silk: Spider Society and Spider-Man Noir could still happen as spinoffs of the parent show. We are also hearing about the Black Cat as a possible spinoff in that world.

From 2001 to 2011, DC fans had Smallville to follow DC’s biggest non-Bat icon for ten years. It seems only appropriate now that Marvel fans get their turn with the premier web-slinger. More news is expected to come officially this week; in the meantime, you should read the information at this link before sharing this news with others.

This is an exciting time to be a fan. A live-action Spider-Man TV show has not been attempted (in the United States, at least) since 1977… and now we are going to get it again! (Hmmm…. casting thoughts: how about Nicholas Hammond as Uncle Ben or even Jonah?)

And yes, we will have a website – be sure to follow our Spider-Man TV Twitter feed!

Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but now that the April Fool’s part of April 1 is over we can confirm this was an April Fool’s posting. However, we can hope at least some of this becomes true!

KryptonSite has received an exclusive update about the Smallville animated show that Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum are putting together for Warner Bros. Animation. While Warner Bros. has not officially committed to the series at this time, a series bible has been created with the duo’s plans for 8 episodes of a first season. We also now know the title of this project – it’s being referred to as “Metropolis” though it would not be surprising if the show is branded as “Smallville: Metropolis” for marketing purposes.

The show is being pitched to HBO Max who of course have had a lot of success with their Harley Quinn animated show. Episodes will be around 30-35 minutes in length, allowing for a fairly complete experience.

KryptonSite has obtained a copy of the series bible and while Tom and Michael will kill us if we reveal everything, we can share a few highlights:

• The show will NOT follow the continuity of the Smallville: Season Eleven comic books published by DC Comics and written by Bryan Q. Miller. However, Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum are aware of how popular those comics were, and Miller has been approached about writing one of the first season’s eight episodes.
• But where does it fit into continuity? The series takes place right where Smallville left off. Superman has arrived! And as such, the story of Smallville is over, in a way… Clark Kent has embraced his destiny to move into the future.
• YES flights, YES tights – as this is animated, we will finally see Tom Welling in the costume! Well, sort of.
• Currently signed on and ready to go once there’s a formal order are Tom Welling (Clark/Superman), Michael Rosenbaum (Lex), Erica Durance (Lois), Alessandro Juliani (Dr. Emil Hamilton), and Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy). Michael McKean is being approached to reprise his role as Perry White, and a new female reporter role is being cast to join Clark, Lois, and Jimmy at the Daily Planet. The series will also be looking for an up-and-coming Metropolis politician who will catch Lex Luthor’s romantic attention… and she might be even more dangerous than he is.
• Remember how Lex lost his memories in the Smallville “Finale?” Don’t worry — Tess Mercer’s sacrificial act was sadly for nothing. The amnesia was temporary, and Lex Luthor now remembers everything. The entire Lex Luthor journey on Smallville, everything that happened, he remembers… and Clark/Superman doesn’t know that he knows, which makes him all the more dangerous.
• There will be an episode taking place in the past featuring some folks from the early seasons – Kristin Kreuk, Sam Jones III, Eric Johnson, Annette O’Toole, John Glover, and John Schneider. Kristin and Annette are expected to be in a “present-day” story as well as Lana and Martha, respectively. Because of Allison Mack’s current legal situation, the role of Chloe will be voiced by Kristen Bell in the flashback.
• Some perhaps unexpected guest characters will be appearing throughout the first season. Emmanuelle Vaugier as Dr. Helen Bryce will be making her long-awaited (and alive!) return, causing drama for Lex, and the prodigal son Lucas may also make a return, though it’s currently unknown if actor Paul Wesley will be available to reprise the role. Some consideration has been made to doing an episode with Kyle Gallner as Impulse; this might be the episode that Bryan Q. Miller is being considered for as writer. Also, it sounds like Cassidy Freeman may be playing a role, but not as Tess.
• Justin Hartley is unavailable to reprise his role as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in the show, but we do learn where Oliver Queen ended up: In Hollywood, producing a TV series called “Arrow” about his life. One of the episodes is a mystery that takes Lois and Clark to a fan convention in Metropolis when the actor playing Green Arrow goes missing. Considering that Stephen Amell has been on Michael’s “Inside of You” podcast multiple times, don’t be surprised if he’s the Green Arrow in question.
• Laura Vandervoort will be back for at least one episode, as we see what happens when Kara returns from the future and meets the heroine who has taken her place in present day… Power Girl?!?!
• While most of the action takes place soon after Smallville Season 10, there will be a story that tells what happened during Crisis on Infinite Earths from Clark’s perspective — and explains what actions Clark took off-camera to help save his part of the multiverse, including the restoration of his powers. We’ll probably get to learn the names of Lois and Clark’s daughters in this one!
• In success, this series will have multiple seasons, and a future season will cover Lex Luthor’s Presidential campaign.
• The hope is to use the familiar Remy Zero “Save Me” as the theme music, but it may be coming with a twist, with a cover of the song by Michael Rosenbaum’s band Sun Spin.
• It may sound like a silly idea but this series may also be the first opportunity to see Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor since 2011. The actor has pledged that he will shave his head again and do live-action introductions to the episodes as “Lex Luthor” if Warner Bros. takes the bait and fully puts this in production. So, Warner Bros…. get on this, because we want to see that bald head once again!

That’s not the biggest part of it all, though. The biggest news is something we couldn’t put on this very long list, and we had to put behind another link. That big news can be found here.

It’s crazy how big stories seem to come to us here at KryptonSite around this time every year. But our sources — the same ones who told you that Ezra Miller would be appearing in Crisis on Infinite Earths and that Smallville creators Alfred Gough & Miles Millar would be developing an Aquaman TV series — have given us the details on the two-series crossover between Superman & Lois and Batwoman that was announced for this TV season but then didn’t happen.

While yes, it is true that COVID made doing a crossover a bit difficult, that wasn’t the main reason the crossover was scuttled: Originally, the crossover was to involve the Kate Kane character, and it was to search for the real Bruce Wayne who was impersonated by “Hush” with the appearance of actor Warren Christie in the Batwoman Season 2 premiere. But, without the emotional hook of Kate being Bruce Wayne’s cousin, it seemed a little bit odd to shoehorn the “Ryan Wilder” character (Javicia Leslie) into it.

It’s a shame, though, because we would have had the next generation of the World’s Finest. While both Superman/Clark Kent and Batwoman/Kate Kane had pasts with Bruce Wayne and he and Superman made the original World’s Finest duo, the crossover had planned to introduce Bruce’s son who conveniently is the same age as Superman & Lois’ Jonathan & Jordan. Yes, we could have seen Damian Wayne in live action, and we missed out. Though with Damian’s mother Talia already having been introduced in Arrow and having been seen post-Crisis, we are curious if they would have gone with actress Lexa Doig for her return, or given her a Morgan Edge-like makeover.

Warren Christie was expected to appear as Bruce Wayne, and the story was said to have featured interactions between Lois Lane and Vicki Vale, who has not seen Bruce in many years. But, alas, the best laid plans…

But, you know us here at KryptonSite. We got this covered, especially on April 1. We’ve got the script for you. Click here if you want to read it, but do know the publication of this script might mean Warner Bros. might never again return our calls.