Is This Proof a Smallville Spinoff
is in the Works? (Don’t Bet on It)

 

Fans of Smallville began clamoring for a sequel of sorts well before the series ended its 10-season run in May. Referred to by die-hards as Metropolis, the imagined follow-up has spawned fan fiction, fan-made trailers, and even a Twitter account devoted to making the spinoff a reality.

Now, nearly six months after the conclusion of Smallville, could the fabled Metropolis actually be happening? Well … I wouldn’t start planning my viewing party just yet.

A glimmer of hope for the spinoff comes this morning from io9.com, which notes there’s a listing for Metropolis on the not-always-reliable IMDb with a cast that so far boasts Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Aaron Ashmore and Michael McKean. Okay, sure. None of them is exactly taking Hollywood by storm at the moment, so a return to their Smallville roles wouldn’t be out of the question.

From there, though, the listing becomes significantly less believable. Metropolis is labeled as a TV series, rather than a (more likely) miniseries or TV movie, that’s in post-production. It’s possible, I guess, that the supposed project was filmed immediately after Smallville wrapped in the spring, to make use of the existing sets. From a financial standpoint, that makes sense.

Far less convincing, though, is the inclusion of Smallville co-creator Alfred Gough, who with Miles Millar left the series in 2008, as director, making the project his sole directing credit. Unlikely, sure, but not nearly as outlandish as the duo, who are suing The CW and Warner Bros. for breach of contract and what could amount to tens of millions of dollars in royalties, returning to the loving embrace of the network and its parent company.

Sorry, Smallville fans, but Metropolis is probably about as likely as that Green Arrow spinoff — at least for the time being.