Michael Rosenbaum has 1 season left!

[supercrashmac]

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/152874/michael_rosenbaum_aka_lex_luthor_leaving.html

If bad guys make the show, then Smallville could be in trouble. Michael Rosenbaum has confirmed that next season will be his last as Lex Luthor. Will next season also be the last for Smallville? Rosenbaum has done things with the Lex Luthor role that no other actor has, and perhaps no other actor could. It's hard to imagine Smallville without him.

Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor debuted on screen just one month after the tragic September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It was October 2001 when Smallville first appeared on television - then the WB, now CW. Smallville traces the life of a teenage Clark Kent who wrestles with his alien identity, discovers new powers, and tries to keep it all a secret - while also learning how to just...well...be a man.

The series opened with Clark Kent saving Lex Luthor from certain death in a terrible automobile accident - an act that forged a friendship doomed to fail. Luthor was mesmerizing as an earnest, young billionaire trying to get out from under the controlling, shadow of his estranged, yet protective father. Lionel Luthor was the Big Bad Dude for the first couple of seasons, with Lex on the tightrope -- deciding which direction to go (Good or Bad). Sounds a lot like Star Wars, I know. But that's about right. Would Lex choose the Light Side or the Dark Side?

Well, over time, Lex's path has taken a darker turn to where he is now, without any doubt, the series villain. And his friendship with Clark has of course long since fractured. To complicate matters, however, Lex has found what appears to be true love in the arms of Clark's ex-girlfriend (and so far, only real love), Lana Lang.

Rosenbaum's complex portrait of Lex Luthor has lifted the cultural iconic villain to new artistic heights. In Rosenbaum's hands, Luthor is not the cardboard cut-out villain of yesteryear's Superman serials, nor the over-the-top, for-laughs version given us by Gene Hackman in the 1980s Superman movies. No, Lex Luthor has emerged as one of the most interesting villains ever to appear on television. And, well, that's coming to an end.

The good news for Smallville fans is that the end is still a ways off. Rosenbaum will finish this season, the series' sixth. And he'll do next season. But, after that, it's bye-bye to the man who many credit with making Smallville the most interesting Superman series to date.

 

[KalKai]

Use the search function, it's old news, discussed to death already.

 

[chosen1]

Its funny how he says next season is his last season like its his decision. The show will barley last another season and he knows that.

But okay I'll play along....


OMG Michaels leaving after next season... ....





"All in the game." -- Traditional west baltimore

 

[AgentPat]

Its funny how he says next season is his last season like its his decision. The show will barley last another season and he knows that.

You stuck in 2004 or something?

Seems like every year people say the same thing - even G&M! "We went from a five year plan to a four year plan..."

Hello?

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Rosenbaum wanting to leave after the seventh season does make me curious about one thing. We all know Gough wants the show to run eight seasons and they feel they have at least two more years of stories to tell. I'm wondering if their concept for an eighth season involves everyone just on the fact of the whole cast returning on good faith or if it involves something completely different knowing which cast members won't return.

I guess we'll see...

 

[Lt. Figgnuts]

Next season should be the last, hands down. Not because Rosenbaum's leaving, but because it needs to get out while the gettins good. Seven years is a good, healthy run for any kind of TV show. Eight is pushing it. Learn to let go, A&M.

 

[AssMan]

Rosenbaum wanting to leave after the seventh season does make me curious about one thing. We all know Gough wants the show to run eight seasons and they feel they have at least two more years of stories to tell. I'm wondering if their concept for an eighth season involves everyone just on the fact of the whole cast returning on good faith or if it involves something completely different knowing which cast members won't return.

I guess we'll see...

Both Michael & Kristin has said their contracts expire after Season 7 & Kristin has definitely said that she wants out & Michael has said that other cast members do have contracts that lasts longer then Season 7.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Both Michael & Kristin has said their contracts expire after Season 7 & Kristin has definitely said that she wants out & Michael has said that other cast members do have contracts that lasts longer then Season 7.

I realize that. What I was getting at was If Gough and Millar's idea for an eighth season is dependant on them being able to persuade certain cast members who are planning to leave, to stick around for one more season (Season 8) or if they're planning on working around that (no Lex or Lana for example) with a new structure for the show.

 

[triplet]

Kristin and Michael saying they want out may be a negotiating tactic, I believe the cast of Friends did something like that before they all signed on for their final season and their record breaking paydays...

Not that Michael and Kristin will get that rich a deal, but if Warner's TV and The CW are convinced they'll make money with an 8th season, they'll likely shell out for them and maybe even hand out Producing credits, like Gilmore Girls did for Laura Graham...

 

[AgentPat]

Next season should be the last, hands down. Not because Rosenbaum's leaving, but because it needs to get out while the gettins good. Seven years is a good, healthy run for any kind of TV show. Eight is pushing it. Learn to let go, A&M.

I sooo don't understand this point of view. Simpsons, anybody?

If SV is still profitable to the network (decent ratings) after seven seasons, they *may* be inclined to finance an eighth. What it comes down to is the producers and cast being willing to re-up their contracts for the compensation offered. Actors have been replaced in shows or their characters removed entirely with mixed results, even leads. Personally speaking, the only change that would send me down the road is Welling. Everybody else is fair game. But that's just me.

G&M have managed to keep the show fresh (for me) since Day One. I may not be totally on board with all of the side-steps and bizarre plot arcs they've cooked up, but at least the show never gets stale. Based on six years of evidence, there's no reason to think they couldn't carry this puppy another two seasons IF they wanted to. And for me, that's with or without Kreuk and Rosenbaum. Other viewer's mileage may vary. That's pretty much the risk CW would be taking IF they went an eighth season without the show's second and third leads.

Honestly, I don't know how they'd do it and still be able to call it Smallville, which is something Gough has emphasized the show will always be about. But that's really quite irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. If they serve it up, I'll dine - with great pleasure.

 

[\S/JcDc\S/]

Rosenbaum's complex portrait of Lex Luthor has lifted the cultural iconic villain to new artistic heights. In Rosenbaum's hands, Luthor is not the cardboard cut-out villain of yesteryear's Superman serials, nor the over-the-top, for-laughs version given us by Gene Hackman in the 1980s Superman movies. No, Lex Luthor has emerged as one of the most interesting villains ever to appear on television. And, well, that's coming to an end.

Oh please... His Lex is good but even he would tell you as he did at the Saturn awards, it's based on the John Shea interpretation of Lex!

 

[AgentPat]

Oh please... His Lex is good but even he would tell you as he did at the Saturn awards, it's based on the John Shea interpretation of Lex!

Why do you keep saying this when we've shown you actual printed interviews where Rosenbaum states the only reference he had for Lex Luthor was through Gene Hackman's portrayal? I know you've got it bad for L&C JC, but listen to the SV DVD commentary tracks for Pete's sake. READ some legitimate interviews with Rosenbaum. Clearly, the Saturn Award statement was Rosenbaum's typical witty sarcasm, assuming the statement was ever made to begin with. The ONLY source for that quote can be tracked back to IMDb, which is about as accurate as Wikipedia on a good day.

 

[\S/JcDc\S/]

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...john+shea+inspiration&ei=UTF-8&fr=yie7c&x=wrt

 

[Asteroid-Man]

very old news

 

[AgentPat]

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...john+shea+inspiration&ei=UTF-8&fr=yie7c&x=wrt

What part of "source tracked back to IMDb" didn't you understand, JC?

Answers.com, Wikipedia, and IMDb? Oh yes, the bastions of accuracy on the I-Net.

With all of the facetious comments Rosey has made, to put so much stock into that quote when legitimate interviews exist is pretty dumb.

But lets go ahead and ignore this again, shall we?

Michael Rosenbaum...

On his audition:
"[The producers] said, 'We want some edge, we want some comedic timing, we want that brooding undertone, that menacing undertone of Lex.' So I literally went through the two and a half pages of dialog, and went, 'Here I'll be funny, here I'll be charismatic, and here I'll be a little manacing.'"

"I went in there and the casting director had this chair, and she wanted me to sit there and do this and do that. I said, 'I don't want to do any of that. I don't want to be confined to the chair, or the desk. I'm just going to do what I do, and you just film me.'"

On being a Superman fan growing up:
"No, I can't say I was ever really a big fan. I loved those big Superman movies. I loved Gene Hackman, always idolized him as a kid, Christopher Reeve obviously."

On what he knew about Lex:
"Oh, I knew who Lex Luthor was. All I could think of was Gene Hackman. Am I going to play this caricature of Lex Luthor, be this wild, crazy guy, and play it over the top? The producers said, 'This is just what we don't want.' I didn't want to make Lex a stereotype of everything that's ever been written or documented or taped or filmed about Lex Luthor. This was the first time. I wanted people to like him, and I think that's what the producers wanted. I like that about him - he wasn't just some goofy character where people go, 'Oh you're that goofy guy on TV.' There's something unusual about him when you watch him. This show is different. It's all unique. It's the story before the story, and that's exciting. And it's all real. We're plying it as real as you can play Superman. Everyone thinks of the cape and the tights - and it's not. It's as simple as we can be. That's what we're doing. I think that's more exciting. There's more to go. There's always new levels to reach."

- from The Official 2004 Smallville Yearbook​

No mention of John Shea, at ALL. But there are a few "I'm just going to do what *I* do," and "all I could think of was Gene Hackman" type comments. But you go ahead and keep referencing IMDb and Wikipedia for your "facts." Even a broken clock is correct twice a day.

 

[Catman]

Simpsons, anybody?

Most people, including myself, would say that The Simpsons is the perfect example of a show that lasted WAY TOO LONG. The show has sucked for the last 5-7 seasons. If you wanted a good example you could have said Cheers which had 11 wonderful seasons. But, why are you comparing Smallville to Simpsons. Its not even the same genre. I say for Smallville's genre, seven seasons is enough. Originally I wanted 8 since I figured four years of HS and four years of college. But...since all the characters are college drop outs seven seasons is enough.

 

[RakuMon]

Most people, including myself, would say that The Simpsons is the perfect example of a show that lasted WAY TOO LONG. The show has sucked for the last 5-7 seasons. If you wanted a good example you could have said Cheers which had 11 wonderful seasons. But, why are you comparing Smallville to Simpsons. Its not even the same genre. I say for Smallville's genre, seven seasons is enough. Originally I wanted 8 since I figured four years of HS and four years of college. But...since all the characters are college drop outs seven seasons is enough.

Have to *sort of* agree w/ Catman here. Smallville and Simpsons is apples and oranges.

Successful sitcoms have traditionally had longer lifespans than hourlong dramas. "Friends," "Frasier" and "Cheers" all lasted 10+ years, and because of the relative low-cost of animated fair, those shows to last indefinitely if the ratings allow. And seven seasons has always been the standard for hourlong genre shows (most of the next gen Treks, Buffy). Though shows like "Charmed" and "X-Files" went past seven, many of those shows' fans argue that the last seasons were weakest. Even the current season of Gilmore Girls has been turned on by its loyalest fans.

Now, I'm not saying that I don't want Smallville to keep going. Hell, I'd love for the show to go on indefinitely if they can keep up the quality. That's what will be the kicker for me. And if they keep up the pattern, they could still have stronger seasons ahead. Let's just hope everyone (from writers to directors to the cast) is up for it. Because the last thing I'd want is for the creators of the show to just go through the motions and have Smallville on for the sake of the network.

I'd rather have the show go out with a Super Sonic boom, than see the show limp on indefinitely.

 

[AgentPat]

I wasn't comparing the Simpsons to SV. Of course they're apples and oranges. I don't even watch The Simpsons LOL. But that show was the first one that came to mind as an example of a long-running series. A record-breaking one, if I'm not mistaken.

I really don't think anybody's arguing SV should continue just for the sake of the network. I want a good show as much as anybody else. What bugs me is when I see somebody arguing it should get canceled, and I've been seeing comments like that since the third season. It's aggravating. Based on what we've received so far over the course of six years, the show hasn't let me down yet. If it has for the people that want it canceled, I say stop watching it and effectively "cancel" if for themselves. It's still a great show to me and worthy of continuing. JMHO.

 

[Kaboom]

Hello? McFly? Think McFly think. DO you know what would happen if i turned in my homework in your handwriting. I'd get kicked out of school. You wouldnt want that to happen would ya? Would Ya?

If I could turn back time.......if i could find the way, id take back all those things that hurt you.....if i could reach the stars

Its just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right.....put your hands on your hips, and swing em just right, but its the little things, that make 'em go insaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaane..........

LETS DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!!!!!!!

 

[Catman]

I wasn't comparing the Simpsons to SV. Of course they're apples and oranges. I don't even watch The Simpsons LOL. But that show was the first one that came to mind as an example of a long-running series. A record-breaking one, if I'm not mistaken.

I really don't think anybody's arguing SV should continue just for the sake of the network. I want a good show as much as anybody else. What bugs me is when I see somebody arguing it should get canceled, and I've been seeing comments like that since the third season. It's aggravating. Based on what we've received so far over the course of six years, the show hasn't let me down yet. If it has for the people that want it canceled, I say stop watching it and effectively "cancel" if for themselves. It's still a great show to me and worthy of continuing. JMHO.

Dude, but the problem is...what else is there for them to do? Clark Kent is seconds away from becoming Superman! Had they kept these characters in college I would have liked 8 seasons, but since they all dropped out seven is all you really need. There will come a point where people are gonna start asking, "so...um...isn't he supposed to be Superman by now?"

 

[AgentPat]

Dude, but the problem is...what else is there for them to do?

I'll leave that up to the writers. People were asking that question when Clark was a junior in high school and he had one more year to go before graduating. That was... drum roll please... the THIRD season.

Look at what they've done since then. Now I can totally understand how certain storylines may have turned off a few people *cough*wiches*cough* but who would have guessed back in the third season we'd see the FOS, Brainiac, Zod, and PZ'ers? In some versions of the story, Clark doesn't become Superman till he's 30 something, so I'll let the writers determine how this version will play out. There's tons of stories out there to tell; it's only limited by the imagination.

PS: I'm female.

 

[LexLuthor]

And even though the witches episode was not the best, it did show that he was vulnerable to magic which is something he definitely needed to know.

I would definitely enjoy seeing them do a season eight. They could show Clark traveling the world, visiting different cultures, saving people, preventing accidents, etc. with the last episode of him in Metropolis and him doing his famous shirt rip and cut to credits. It can be done. I guess this season will probably end with Clark going to the Fortress to train with Jor-El. I just know I look forward to this show every Thursday, even now so that I was disappointed by the movie.

I'll leave that up to the writers. People were asking that question when Clark was a junior in high school and he had one more year to go before graduating. That was... drum roll please... the THIRD season.

Look at what they've done since then. Now I can totally understand how certain storylines may have turned off a few people *cough*wiches*cough* but who would have guessed back in the third season we'd see the FOS, Brainiac, Zod, and PZ'ers? In some versions of the story, Clark doesn't become Superman till he's 30 something, so I'll let the writers determine how this version will play out. There's tons of stories out there to tell; it's only limited by the imagination.

PS: I'm female.

 

[Sun_Down]

I sooo don't understand this point of view. Simpsons, anybody?

Simpsons is a prime example of a show that should've been cancelled but wasn't. Seriously, the show hasn't been funny in like six years. I'd rather have SV go out on top than continue and be awful.

 

[AgentPat]

^ Whatever blows your collective skirts up.

btw...

http://www.jumptheshark.com/forum/jumped/36

 

[avidreader]

^ Whatever blows your collective skirts up.

btw...

http://www.jumptheshark.com/forum/jumped/36

LOL! You seriously crack me up with the stuff that you find. t: