Syfy Channel is jumping on the superhero series bandwagon and teaming up with DC Entertainment to launch a new series in 2015 about the family of one of DC Comics’ most popular characters. Krypton will key in on Superman’s grandparents on his father’s side, with Jor-El’s father–Superman’s granddad–as the lead character. One can quickly see a young Jor-El, twin brother Nim-El, and other brother Zor-El (Supergirl’s dad), and perhaps an Eddie Haskell-inspired neighbor kid Zod, as likely key characters in this new prequel story to the classic Superman tale.
Depending on the series you’re following, the grandfather of Superman (known at birth as Kal-El) was Jor-El the First or Seyg-El, son of Var-El and husband of Nimda An-Dor. Will they select one of these names or start from scratch for the series? It’s all being developed now.
The good part? Other than Constantine, recent TV series featuring superheroes Arrow, Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Flash, and Gotham have proven to be critical successes. The not-so-good? Krypton is being developed by the scriptwriter (David S. Goyer) for the disappointing big-screen reboot Man of Steel (reviewed previously here at borg.com).
Here’s the studio description for the project:
Years before the Superman legend we know, the House of El was shamed and ostracized. This series follows The Man of Steel’s grandfather as he brings hope and equality to Krypton, turning a planet in disarray into one worthy of giving birth to the greatest Super Hero ever known.
Arguably the most creative part of Man of Steel was the sequence on Krypton, full of fantasy creatures more like something you’d find in classic Flash Gordon than anything we’ve seen in a Superman story before. For continuity, we’re betting we’ll see the world from Man of Steel, which featured Russell Crowe as Jor-El. Marlon Brando previously played Jor-El in the 1978 Superman and David Warner in the CW series Smallville.
But what we’d love to see is Michael Turner’s more vibrant world of Krypton, from his run on Action Comics:
Right now, all that exists is an idea and a logo for the series. In addition to Krypton, David S. Goyer is one of the writers for 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, and NBC’s Constantine.
C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com
As Superman is my favorite of the super-hero genre, I’ll be tuning in. I hope it’s better than Smallville. I had a hard time getting into that series.