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!

EXCLUSIVE: If you thought the entire Crisis on Infinite Earths event was done over a year ago, then… you don’t know what Superman & Lois has cooking.

KryptonSite has learned exclusively about an upcoming episode of Superman & Lois called “The Untold Story” and it tells the story of how “Captain Luthor” as played by Wole Parks made his way to Earth-Prime. Obviously, it will be one of the ten episodes that airs after the show returns in May, and the concept of this one… well… to suggest this one will be a big deal is an understatement.

Our sources — the same ones who first told us that Mr. Myxzptlk would be coming to Smallville and that Michael Rosenbaum was leaving Smallville after Season 7 — tell us that Jon Cryer has already signed on to appear in the episode, already being in Vancouver for Supergirl filming, and that the story concerns the “Coucil of Luthors” story glimpsed in the Crisis on Infinite Earths tie-in comic books… and the episode itself borrows a title from a bonus “Crisis on Infinite Earths” comic book story found in the Legends of the DC Universe series.

So what’s it about?

“The Untold Story” is the, well, untold story of how Lex (Jon Cryer) tried to recruit other Luthors to stop Supermen across the multiverse in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover… and it explains why we didn’t see more of them in the previous televised event. One of the Luthors he tries to recruit is the man we know only as “Captain Luthor” — and a promise made to him explains how he ended up on Earth-Prime when the multiverse was restored.

This episode will also be notable in that some prominent members of the Superman & Lois cast — particularly, those that didn’t exist before the Crisis — aren’t even in it… but that’s not all!

A few Lexes of TV’s past are being approached to appear and are at least in outlines of the script, and some of the names may excite you. Now, before you get too excited, these appearances may be short as we’re hearing these scenes are shot in Los Angeles so the guest stars don’t have to go through the rigorous testing to be approved in COVID times. Still… are you ready for the list? Here goes:

Michael Rosenbaum: Fans of Smallville were delighted to see Tom Welling reprise his role in “Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 2” and just as many were disappointed things didn’t work out with the very popular Lex Luthor actor. This time things are a little bit different: By bringing the production to Los Angeles and providing Michael with a script in advance, as well as a generous guest star salary and the opportunity to work with Jon Cryer, we are hearing the fan favorite is very close to signing on.

John Shea: While the Lois & Clark Luthor still acts in such series as Gossip Girl he has been off of the Super-grid ever since his last appearance in the Dean Cain & Teri Hatcher-starring series… and even then, his last “appearance” was just providing his voice! Getting him back in the bald cap (assuming he has one again) is something that’s been anticipated for over 25 years… and Superman & Lois is making it happen.

Sherman Howard: This is another one that has been a long time…. Howard played Lex in over a dozen episodes of the syndicated Superboy TV show. His performance as Lex was quite manic, and if this works out, it will be fun to see how he and Jon Cryer bounce off of each other.

And finally…. Negotiations are being made to incorporate old, unused footage of Gene Hackman to make it appear as if he and Jon Cryer are doing a scene together. Hopefully he’ll have his nephew Lenny around and we’ll see double? Additionally, it is expected that Jesse Eisenberg‘s Lex may be involved at some point, and Clancy Brown, who voiced Lex Luthor in Superman: The Animated Series and played a live-action Arrowverse role on The Flash, is expected for a voice cameo.

But most importantly… we will find out who “Captain Luthor” aka “The Stranger” truly is… and we will find out why his Siri/Alexa sounds like Mel Torme’s daughter. As we said, expect this to be one of the later episodes in Superman & Lois Season 1 since it hasn’t been shot yet. And before you share this article, you might want to read this.

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.