Smallville producers blocked from using Batman and Wonder Woman in hit show
SMALLVILLE co-creator Alfred Gough says the writers and producers were refused permission to feature Batman and Wonder Woman in the hit TV series.
The show centres on the early years of Clark Kent, before he donned the Superman costume, with Tom Welling in the lead role.
Gough, who this year left the series, spoke to Smallville magazine about his time on the show and said the key to its success was "the enduring power of Superman."
Asked which characters had ben ruled off-limits, Gough said: "Just Batman and Wonder Woman. Those were really it. We used every character from a former Superman series or movie we wanted to."
He told the magazine: "We earned the right to incorporate a lot more of the DC mythology, which really lit a fire under the show. We introduced the future Justice League, Brainiac, Bizarro, the Fortress and Lois Lane. Suddenly we earned the right to use these toys from the DC toy box to great effect."
The show has also featured comicbook characters Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Cyborg and a junior version of The Flash. Guest appearances were made by actors from former Superman movies and series, including Dean Cain, Marc McLure, Helen Slater, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp and Margot Kidder.
Gough added: "[When we began] we knew nothing about the comicbook culture. Whether it's Superman, Batman or Spider-Man, we've seen that these comics are modern mythology that people really treat that way. We were obviously nervous about approaching Superman and didn't want to screw the mythology up. You realise these things have been reinvented, which is how they stay relevant to all cultures."
The new showrunners are planning a
Robin prequel series called The Graysons. They later
said this new project was not intended as a replacement for Smallville, which had been rumoured to be finishing after its eighth season.
The eighth season is expected to begin in the UK on November 11, at 9pm on E4. It's already airing in the US.