Superman Finally Lands in SUPERGIRL’s World
Superman will finally be coming back to the small screen, and not in silhouette or some distant long-shot CGI, either.
Teen Wolf alumnus Tyler Hoechlin will join the cast of Supergirl for at least two episodes when the show makes its sophomore season debut on The CW, its new network home.
“Greg [Berlanti] and I have wanted to work with Tyler for ages, so this worked out perfectly because Tyler is Superman,” said Andrew Kreisberg, executive producer of Supergirl. “We are so thrilled and humbled to add another amazing actor to the legacy of this iconic character.”
This will be the first time the character has been fully realized on television since Tom Welling played a pre-Superman Clark Kent on The CW’s Smallville. Many fans felt that Welling should have been brought back to play the character again, giving some sense of continuity between the two shows, but Welling hasn’t seemed very interested in returning to the role, although he did recently say he’d be open to the possibility. Speculation warmed after his CBS series Project 13 wasn’t picked up, but more realistic fans knew it would likely be a new actor in the part.
Nor should anyone be surprised that “silhouette Superman” actor Kevin Caliber is being replaced by a more recognizable “name” actor, even though Caliber has the build (and the age) for the role.
Hoechlin, for his part, is ready to put on the suit:
Could not be more honored & humbled to be given the opportunity to play this incredible & beloved character. Can't wait to get to work!
— Tyler Hoechlin (@tylerhoechlin) June 17, 2016
And what will he look like? Try this mockup:
It’s rough, yes. OK, it’s very rough…
The main challenge for Hoechlin will be acting like he’s over a decade older than Melissa Benoist, who is only his junior by one year.
Supergirl returns to the air Monday, October 10th at 8/7c.
