Smallville at SDCC '07

[RakuMon]

K-Site's SV Panel report from Comic Con:

http://www.kryptonsite.com/conreport07.htm

Smallville at Comic-Con: Special Report!
By Craig Byrne

Smallville returned to the Comic-Con International in San Diego today (July 28), and if the enthusiasm and excitement in the room was any sign, this is going to be a fantastic season.

[Be warned, spoilers may be below.]


The panel started with a screening of clips from the show's first six seasons. Reminiscent of the excellently-edited "Previously On..."s that we see before season finales, this selection of clips was amazing.

The biggest highlight of the clipfest was seeing Clark flying (from "Crusade") with the words of Christopher Reeve's Dr. Swann in voiceover. It gave chills in the same way "Marlon Brando as Jor-El in the Superman Returns trailer" did.

Then, the clipfest went into some clips from the Season 7 premiere and possibly beyond. We see Lionel washed ashore in some way. An angelic-looking, flying Kara surrounded by white light. Chloe being zipped up but then waking up from the gurney in the morgue. More Clark vs. Bizarro. Kara in the Daily Planet (or was it the Talon? I can't remember..) This was the first view of Season 7 for fans and it was great.

It seemed that when the clips were shown, the characters of Lois and Oliver got huge responses (maybe from being popular, or maybe because the actors were present). There was a scream of "oh no!" when Chloe was seen dead on the table, but again, that won't stick. (Read some season 7 spoilers)

The guests of the panel included series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, plus actors Erica Durance (Lois), Phil Morris (John Jones), and Justin Hartley (Oliver Queen/The Green Arrow). Also joining them was Laura Vandervoort, who will be playing Clark's Kryptonian cousin, Kara Zor-El, in Season 7.

From the brief clips shown, and Vandervoort's general enthusiasm, look, and demeanor, she is going to be PERFECT for the role of Kara. I think... or hope... that her addition will revitalize the show in a similar way to how James Marsters changed things up in Season 5.

Al Gough revealed that Dean Cain will be appearing in the season's fourth episode, as a villain (Read more on that). Also, Justin Hartley will be returning as Green Arrow in the middle of the season.

Phil Morris shared his own enthusiasm and fandom, revealing that he had spent several hours on the convention floor himself earlier in the day. Morris, by the way, will be returning for several episodes this Fall.

The fate of Lana is still unsaid, although Laura Vandervoort she hadn't gotten to work with Kristin... "yet." Why would she say "yet" if Lana is dead, hmm?

Saddening some fans who wanted to ask about it, Al and Miles reiterated that they still can't use Batman, though they ask if they can use Wonder Woman every year. One of the times that it was said that they could not get Bruce Wayne, there was booing from the audience.

The first 15 fans asking questions got free t-shirts. (Can I have one?)

Someone commented on the chemistry between Lois and Ollie, and they asked Erica and Justin how they prepare for a romantic scene. They both made mention of their respective spouses. (David Palffy and Lindsay Hartley were both in the audience).

Justin Hartley proved himself to be a huge geek, revealing his two favorite Smallville moments. One, was having Green Arrow shooting at the, what Justin called a "soda pop can" (how Midwest!)... and the other, just the general meteor-flying-before-the-logo "Somebody Saaaaaaaaaaaaave Me!" Seriously, why doesn't this guy have his own show?

Phil Morris said his favorite Smallville moment came at the end of "Labyrinth."

Al told the audience that Michael Rosenbaum wanted to be at the Con but he recently had a back surgery and was unable to make it. Get well soon, Michael!

Another revelation at the Con was that new Smallville action figures are coming next year, and singular-colored prototypes were seen. Scheduled for release are Clark, Oliver Queen, Aquaman, Bart Allen, Cyborg, and Bizarro.

All in all, it was a very successful panel. I know this sounds like a lot of gushing and kissing it up but this level of excitement for something Smallville has not been in a gathered place like that for a few years.

[Additional note: KryptonSite's Craig Byrne participated in a very brief press junket/conference with some of the guests. Look for some of that late Saturday night or on Sunday.]

 

[Serene]

K-Site's SV Panel report from Comic Con:

http://www.kryptonsite.com/conreport07.htm

Thanks, Raku.

The biggest highlight of the clipfest was seeing Clark flying (from "Crusade") with the words of Christopher Reeve's Dr. Swann in voiceover. It gave chills in the same way "Marlon Brando as Jor-El in the Superman Returns trailer" did.

Damn. I want to see that! *pouts*

I can't believe that someone in that audience didn't tape that *coughcameraphone* and will get it up on youtube later. I hope, at least.

The fate of Lana is still unsaid, although Laura Vandervoort she hadn't gotten to work with Kristin... "yet." Why would she say "yet" if Lana is dead, hmm?

Now THAT sounds spoilery. Unless of course, they've now hired Kristin to do make-up or something.

Al told the audience that Michael Rosenbaum wanted to be at the Con but he recently had a back surgery and was unable to make it. Get well soon, Michael!

Too much dancing around like a crazy man. Oh, our crazy Lex!

All in all, it was a very successful panel. I know this sounds like a lot of gushing and kissing it up but this level of excitement for something Smallville has not been in a gathered place like that for a few years.

Why is that being positive about something SV has be justified as not gushing and kissing up? I'm glad to see some positive comments about the show.

 

[superadam87]

Is the comic-con video available to download anywhere???????

 

[RakuMon]

Buddy TV's SV Comic-Con report:

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/2007-emmy-awards/comicon-2007-smallville-season-8796.aspx

Comicon 2007: 'Smallville' Season 7 Preview and Panel

For the latest 2007 Emmy Awards news, subscribe to our RSS feed or email newsletter. Email this Article to a Friend

July 29, 2007

Is there a show more fitting to Comicon that Smallville? For Smallville's Comicon presentation last night, the crowd was insane. There were at least a thousand people who ended up not getting into the packed hall, and most of the people inside had arrived two to three panels early simply in order to get good seats for Smallville. To begin the event, fans were given a long clip package showing the evolution of the characters from the beginning of the show on, and it ended with some sneak peaks at what season 7 will bring. The cast and crew are already well within the filming schedule, and they gave us some good stuff, including our first glimpse of Supergirl (Laura Vandervoort). The preview didn't give away too much, but it was properly enticing and the clip package as a whole was expertly produced.

Then, came the panel. Tom Welling unfortunately couldn't attend because he was filming in Vancouver. Neither could Michael Rosenbaum, because he was recovering from major back surgery and his doctor wouldn't let him attend. However, Phil Morris (Martian Manhunter), Erica Durance (Lois Lane), Justin Hartley (Green Arrow), Laura Vandervoort, and creators/executive producers Al Gough and Miles Millar. It was, for the most part, a love fest, with fans admitting their love for the show and the panel talking about how much they loved being on the show. There were some nice pieces of info that they gave everyone:

Dean Cain will make an appearance on Smallville in the fourth episode of this season, and he'll be playing a bad guy.

Supergirl will give Clark flying lessons.

Lois will get more and more involved at The Daily Planet.

Batman/Bruce Wayne will never make an appearance on Smallville, for legal reasons.

Wonder Woman probably will never be on the show, but they're leaving the door open.

And, that's about it. Everyone is excited about the new season, and if the preview is any indication, all you fans should be too.

 

[RakuMon]

TV Squad's SV Comic-Con report:

http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/07/28/comic-con-smallville-panel-report/

Comic-Con: Smallville Panel Report

Posted Jul 28th 2007 10:56PM by Julia Ward
Filed under: Industry, Smallville, Casting
Supergirl

The Smallville panel was a hot Comic-Con ticket for one reason and one reason only - Supergirl. We got our first glimpse of Supergirl in action with some preview scenes from Smallville's upcoming season. She was blonde, hot and had the gift of flight.

Phil Morris (aka Martian Manhunter), who will be back next season along with old and new Justice League members, officially distinguished himself as both a comics fan and easily the most articulate panelist of the Comic-Con. He should get a special benevolent actor award.

Green Arrow will be back next season, but not until mid-season. The first of next season's arcs belongs to Supergirl and Bizarro Clark. And, round about episode four, you can expect to see Lois & Clark's Dean Cain as a baddie.

The one other tidbit of news to come out of the panel, aside from some action figure prototypes, was the sad news for fanboys and girls that Bruce Wayne will not be written into the show. It's "never going to happen." Never. Warner Bros. put the kibosh on that idea. Wonder Woman isn't likely to put in an appearance either, but they've promised to keep trying. Seriously, though, forget Wonder Woman and Batman, where are the Wonder Twins and Gleek?

 

[Webhead2006]

Yea i hope the panel footage gets online somewhere i would love to see the preview of supergirl they showed and all that. Hope some one can find it online or put it online.

 

[RakuMon]

IGN's Comic-Con report and video interview with Laura Vandervort:

Con report: http://tv.ign.com/articles/807/807975p1.html
Video interview: http://media.tv.ign.com/media/824/824103/vids_1.html

SDCC 07: Smallville's Supergirl Meets the Fans
Cast and producers give new info for Smallville: Season 7 and talk about whether we'll ever see Batman or Wonder Woman.
by Eric Goldman

July 29, 2007 - The Comic-Con panel for Smallville was packed on Saturday night, proving that the series, going into its seventh season, maintains some very loyal fans. The event began with a special clip reel assembled for the convention that ran for several minutes, and took the audience on an exciting montage through the highlights and major storylines of the entire series so far.

This then led into several clips from brand new scenes from Season 7, which included intriguing glimpses of Lex Luthor with a terrible burn across his chest; Lionel Luthor looking like in a bad state himself; lying on what appeared to be a riverbank; Lois rushing Chloe to the hospital, and things looking grim for Chloe too; new face offs between Clark and Bizarro, who was introduced at the end of Season 6; and finally, the first-ever footage of Smallville's version of Supergirl/Kara. We see Clark find out that Kara (Laura Vandervoort) is his cousin and wonder why she seems more powerful than he does. As Kara puts it "Girls do mature faster than boys."

The panel then came onstage, including Smallville executive producers Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, Phil Morris ("Martian Manhunter"), Justin Hartley ("Green Arrow"), Erica Durance ("Lois Lane") and Vandervoort. Immediately it was acknowledged that both Morris and Hartley would be returning for guest appearances in Season 7. In addition, Gough announced "Dean Cain is going to be appearing on Smallville." The former Lois and Clark star will be in the fourth episode of the season "And he's going to be playing a bad guy."

Gough said the introduction of Supergirl was motivated when they thought about how Clark's father is dead and his mother is often in Washington D.C. and in some ways, right now "He doesn't have any family." In addition, meeting Kara "Gives him some insight into what happened on Krypton" and puts him into a mentor role. Gough said that Kara "is going to be a hand grenade" thrown into the show.

Vandervoort said she was very excited by the role of Kara, who is more advanced in her powers than her cousin and can fly, something Clark can't do as yet. In fact, she revealed "I actually had a flying scene last night."

Hartley said he loved filming last season's popular "Justice" superhero team-up episode, exclaiming "We're all grown men, and get to run around in costumes... outside of our home." Morris revealed he grew up a huge DC and Marvel Comics fan and so for him to play Martian Manhunter is "A complete and utter delight."

Durance said that in Season 7, she thinks Lois "Will be doing a lot more investigating." She'll also have a new love interest, as she goes to work at the Daily Planet. As for the Lois and Clark dynamic, who are still not even remotely a couple, she said she loved "Seeing what the journey is." She laughed, adding that it was okay with her not to have the lovey-dovey scenes with Clark yet because "I like fighting more!"

Vandervoort said that there was some tension between Kara and Lois, at least initially. Durance said she hoped eventually the characters can becomes friends, while Vandervoort explained "Kara first meets [Lois] and thinks she is a bit of a threat" and that she's just trying to be protective of herself and her cousin.

Millar addressed whether we'll ever see Bruce Wayne on Smallville, something fans have wanted for years. Millar bluntly announced "Unfortunately, it's not going to happen." The produced referenced discussions they had with Warner Bros, who seemed to feel audiences would get confused by alternate versions of the same characters appearing concurrently. Gough said they disagreed and that "our belief has always been that you can have Smallville and you can have the movies [at the same time]."

Gough explained "There was a decision made that once the Batman franchise was restarted in films, we wouldn't be able to use him." They did however stress how helpful Warner Bros. and DC have been about getting all the other comic book character guest spots on the series and Gough said that while it was a long shot "Never say never on Wonder Woman."

One audience member said they felt the show was well done and praised the cast, but added he'd had issues in recent seasons with the series changing traditional Superman continuity, such as Clark meeting Green Arrow, Lois, and others so early in his life. The producers again stressed that this was their take on the Superman story, and they weren't trying to replace any other. Gough pointed out that many aspects of the story, such as Lionel Luthor's role and the meteor shower Clark arrived in, had been different from the comic books since the debut of the series. Morris added that he felt the important thing was that the audience member did feel the show was well-done, and that as a fellow comic book fan, he felt the show was worthwhile as long as they kept the integrity and essence of the characters.

When a fan asked the question of how it's possible for Lex and Lois to know Clark so well without his glasses and then not recognize him as Superman in later years, Gough smiled and said that since the show won't ever show Clark in his costumed years, "Thankfully, that's a question we don't have to answer!"

The producers noted that Supergirl will be part of the series for the entire seventh season, and that Martian Manhunter will play a notable role in an early story arc. As for Green Arrow, Hartley will return around the middle of the season and he will be bringing "Some new and old members of the Justice League with him", tantalizing comics fans who now can speculate on what additional DC characters might be introduced soon on the series.

Be sure to also check out our exclusive Comic-Con video interview with Smallville's Laura Vandervoort (Supergirl/Kara).

 

[AgentPat]

IGN's Comic-Con report and video interview with Laura Vandervort:

Con report: http://tv.ign.com/articles/807/807975p1.html
Video interview: http://media.tv.ign.com/media/824/824103/vids_1.html

...When a fan asked the question of how it's possible for Lex and Lois to know Clark so well without his glasses and then not recognize him as Superman in later years, Gough smiled and said that since the show won't ever show Clark in his costumed years, "Thankfully, that's a question we don't have to answer!"

SAY WHAT?!!!

The HELL?!!!

CHEEZUS H. KEERIST!!! Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse......

 

[PJBoy]

K-Site's SV Panel report from Comic Con:

http://www.kryptonsite.com/conreport07.htm

Someone should have recorded the footage!

I have to see it!

 

[mellyM]

SAY WHAT?!!!

The HELL?!!!

CHEEZUS H. KEERIST!!! Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse......

I'm confused, whats wrong exactly?

 

[04nbod]

I'm confused, whats wrong exactly?

she wants the writers to explain how lois and lex don't recognise clark with his glasses off as he flies around but the writers say it isn't their problem and pat isn't happy

 

[Justice Bringer]

Plus the fact that they don't want to show him as Superman :/


Wheres the payoff?

 

[avidreader]

she wants the writers to explain how lois and lex don't recognise clark with his glasses off as he flies around but the writers say it isn't their problem and pat isn't happy

I was talking about this in another thread and wasnt making any sense. Al and me would make a great team.

But I think Al's not very quick on his feet when it comes to giving answers, so he says the first thing that pops into his mind.

What I do think is fairly obvious is that we're getting down towards the end of the series, so if he starts to spill details about that kind of stuff (i.e. Clark and a secret identity) then he just may be giving too much of the plot away, so he replies with an answer that provokes no further questions from the audience.

Kelly Souders or was it Brian Peterson, said in a recent interview that it was about the right time to start exploring Clark and a secret identity, so I'm sure all of this is going to be covered in the next season or two.

 

[KalKai]

I was talking about this in another thread and wasnt making any sense. Al and me would make a great team.

But I think Al's not very quick on his feet when it comes to giving answers, so he says the first thing that pops into his mind.

What I do think is fairly obvious is that we're getting down towards the end of the series, so if he starts to spill details about that kind of stuff (i.e. Clark and a secret identity) then he just may be giving too much of the plot away, so he replies with an answer that provokes no further questions from the audience.

Kelly Souders or was it Brian Peterson, said in a recent interview that it was about the right time to start exploring Clark and a secret identity, so I'm sure all of this is going to be covered in the next season or two.

You're right, I forgot about that.

Ignore Al for the time being lol, let's just wait & see.

 

[RakuMon]

Superhero Fix's exclusive video interviews with the Smallville panelists at Comic-Con:

http://www.superheroflix.com/tv/news/14/21514.php

 

[04nbod]

I was talking about this in another thread and wasnt making any sense. Al and me would make a great team.

But I think Al's not very quick on his feet when it comes to giving answers, so he says the first thing that pops into his mind.

What I do think is fairly obvious is that we're getting down towards the end of the series, so if he starts to spill details about that kind of stuff (i.e. Clark and a secret identity) then he just may be giving too much of the plot away, so he replies with an answer that provokes no further questions from the audience.

Kelly Souders or was it Brian Peterson, said in a recent interview that it was about the right time to start exploring Clark and a secret identity, so I'm sure all of this is going to be covered in the next season or two.

I can see where he's coming from. He wants to get to superman and work out the kinks of the plan later. Superman is his first priority. Perhaps he sees clark's secret identity as something to be worked out after the suit. The fact that other people are questioning it though probably means it will show up as they start to run out of storylines for clark.

 

[Justice Bringer]

"We're dragging this out for as long as we can" - Gough

Well at least hes being honest.

 

[Justice Bringer]

Thanks for posting those videos.

The Hartley one was funny but the interviewer's questions are so bad. Crossovers with other shows on CW??

Laura seems to know her stuff; Kandor...interesting.

Why does Erica look so crappy? :/

"Jimmy Olsen must die" ?? ......wtf

So many 'love triangles'...ahhh

Goughlar sent GA will be bringing in a new leaguer; its obviously Black Canary. No doubt.

 

[04nbod]

Superhero Fix's exclusive video interviews with the Smallville panelists at Comic-Con:

http://www.superheroflix.com/tv/news/14/21514.php

kara is from argo not kandor
jimmy olsen must die is in the comics
the guy doens't watch the show and is obsessed with aquaman(which seems to me to be the only character he knows)
get facts right

love the parts about the incest(god that sounded wrong)because its totally in the comics too lolt: and i told everyone they were bound to fight- they always do

 

[Justice Bringer]

lol the part about Clark checking her out and being disapointed in the cousin stuff is a bit weird for me so soon after learning Lana just died.

 

[Whiteflag]

I can see where he's coming from. He wants to get to superman and work out the kinks of the plan later. Superman is his first priority. Perhaps he sees clark's secret identity as something to be worked out after the suit. The fact that other people are questioning it though probably means it will show up as they start to run out of storylines for clark.

How can that be? Clark wears the suit after he realizes that he has to keep Clark's identity a secret, not the other way round. That wouldn't make any sense.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

^Clark Kent in Metropolis is the disguise. not Superman.

 

[Justice Bringer]

G+M have said before that in this version they consider Superman to be the eventual disguise and Clark to be who he is...I suppose like Lois and Clark.

 

[04nbod]

How can that be? Clark wears the suit after he realizes that he has to keep Clark's identity a secret, not the other way round. That wouldn't make any sense.

not necessarily. He accepts his destiny then goes about making it a reality and making plans on his disguise- the fumbling,geeky, mild mannered reporter

 

[Whiteflag]

not necessarily. He accepts his destiny then goes about making it a reality and making plans on his disguise- the fumbling,geeky, mild mannered reporter

But Clark Kent was real long before Superman, the hero in uniform, makes an appearance. People already knew/loved him. And protecting his identity he protects the people he loves/cares about as well as the, more or less, "normal" life he wants to lead. Superman can't create Clark Kent because Clark Kent was there before. Clark can act more fumbling or geeky, like in some versions, but Clark is still Clark. He's just hiding that he's Superman as well.