Daily Planet Dispatches: News and Media

[Kromm]

52 minutes ago, Trini said:

It's interesting that while his show is the latest, they are positioning Superman as the first superhero.

It's pretty hard to have Superman be anything but that.  It's fairly important to the character.  Or rather, if he's not the actual first, he's the first public hero (vs ones who operated only in secret, as urban legends). 

[legaleagle53]

4 hours ago, Trini said:

Also a new(?) synopsis for the show:

 

It's interesting that while his show is the latest, they are positioning Superman as the first superhero.

That's because historically in the DC comics canon, he is. He existed long before the Flash, Green Arrow, Supergirl, the Legends, and even Batman and Batwoman did. The showrunners are simply acknowledging that fact.

[Starry]

According to SpoilerTV, season 1 consists of 13 episodes.

[tv echo]

Edited October 30, 2020 by tv echo

[Trini]

10 hours ago, Starry said:

According to SpoilerTV, season 1 consists of 13 episodes.

That's a good start - considering. It probably would have been a full 22 or 23 episodes without the pandemic.

[tv echo]

Interview with and blog by new Superman & Lois writer, Adam Ballinger...

Interview: The “Bitter Script Reader” Previews “Crisis on Infinite Teen Dramas”
Craig Byrne     Oct 30, 2020
http://www.ksitetv.com/interviews-2/interview-the-bitter-script-reader-previews-crisis-on-infinite-teen-dramas/205922/ 

Quote

Adam Mallinger, mild-mannered writers’ assistant for an upcoming TV show about a famous couple that worked at a great metropolitan newspaper. (What show? Keep reading!)
*  *  *
You know, we’ve talked about your love of teen dramas. You’ve also been a fan of Superman as long as I’ve known you. So, what have you been up to lately?
I’ve been working for most of the year on Superman & Lois as the writer’s assistant. It’s been a lot of fun being in the room. It’s basically the fourth room I’ve been in, so I’m used to working with a staff, and this staff is great. For most of the season we’ve been doing via Zoom, which is a bit of a challenge, but everybody who I have worked with is just great and [they] have such fantastic ideas. We’re really, really excited about the Superman stuff we’re doing.

I am under direct orders. I cannot give teases, I cannot give hints, cannot tell you anything that hasn’t been publicly released yet. It’s so fun to see people reacting to the stuff that is released. I cannot tell you anything about the show itself other than I think Superman fans are gonna love it.

It’s the kind of Superman show I would love even if I wasn’t working on it, and so to be a part of that is very, very exciting.

Is it fun to work with a group of people where you can talk about Superman and Lois Lane at work?
Oh, absolutely. It’s known I’m the geek, but I don’t think you want eight people like me writing the show. I think what helps is that everybody is kind of like a different level of Superman fan.

Everybody in there loves Superman, but not everybody has the knowledge I do. We all have certain common touchstones. All of us know the Reeve films. There are certain shows that all of us know. Certainly there are people who have history with the Arrowverse. But I am definitely, like, the ultra geek as far as “oh, this obscure character from the eighties or nineties, you know, this is this character’s deal.” So it’s fun to be able to go to work and have all of that knowledge I’ve accumulated over 40 years be an asset. Our Writers’ PA is exactly the same level of geekdom I am, so sometimes it almost becomes a race between the two of us.
*  *  *
With all this knowledge you’re bringing to the table, are they going to let you write an episode?
Well, this is an exclusive, Craig. I cannot tell you what episode it is, I cannot tell you the plot, I cannot tell you anything about it… but by the end of the first season of Superman & Lois, you will see an episode with the credit “written by Adam Mallinger” on it. And that is very exciting to say, and I wish I could tell you more, but yes, I’m getting to live a 35 year dream of writing Superman and Lois Lane.

How Greg Berlanti helped make CRISIS ON INFINITE TEEN DRAMAS an EVERWOOD reunion
The Bitter Script Reader   October 30, 2020
https://thebitterscriptreader.blogspot.com/2020/10/how-greg-berlanti-helped-make-crisis-on.html

Quote

And this is where I've buried the lede. I can't tell you anything about the episode's plot. I can't even tell you which episode it will be, but by the end of first season of SUPERMAN & LOIS, you will see an episode with the credit, "Written by Adam Mallinger."

(That's me, in case you forgot already. Craig Byrne at KSiteTV was the first to break the news in this interview with me today.)

My first episode of television is going to be a Superman episode. This is something like 35 years of my life in the making. There are so many things in my life that have led up to the developments of the last couple months that if my life was a TV show, I'd feel like this was the endgame leading to the series finale.

 

Edited November 2, 2020 by tv echo

[Trini]

I was already leery of Helbing, and now this: 'Superman & Lois writer Nadria Tucker says she was let go after raising issues with CW series' [possible *spoilers*]

[Trini]

Zoom interview with Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch:

 

They also talk about their characters, and a bit about filming; shares a few behind-the-scenes photos:

 

[Trini]

A couple of articles with quotes from former S&L writer, Nadia Tucker, where she goes into more detail about the issues she had in the writers' room:

Interview format at Medium:

Quote

...What’s the reaction until they gave you an excuse? Did they just sort of just kind of shoo you away? Or did anybody ever come back to address what you said? Or, like, follow up or anything like that?

No, I mean, honestly, it felt like you say your piece. It either gets heard or not. And then, keep it pushing to the next thing, and the next battle that comes up. If there’s another chance…For example, we pushed for diversity in the beginning with some of the castings of Martha and Jonathan Kent. Because they’re Superman’s adoptive parents, they can be literally anything in the world. And so, we got pushed back on that. They were cast, with, I’m sure, with some great actors. Martha ended up having to be recast. Again, we pushed for diversity. Again, we’re ignored. Stuff like that just adds up, and you see the results on the screen.

You said, ‘We.’ You don’t have to name names. But you were not the only person that was bringing this to the…?

Oh, no, there are several writers of color — several black writers, several female writers. I know a few writers came to me with things that I felt like I had to bring up with the showrunner and the people above me. And we did.

 

And this one at The Geekiary has the author's thoughts interspersed with Tucker's quotes:

Quote

Tucker: “I follow the news and stuff has been out about [The CW] shows for years. I was aware of that and I knew going into this situation what it could be like. I hoped for the best and I also thought maybe I could help steer things in a better direction. I tried.”

Here, Tucker refers to The CW’s tenuous relationship with racial diversity. Criticisms of race casting for diversity’s sake with little regard for actual representation have plagued the network since Gossip Girl.

...

Tucker: “When I signed on, I thought the ship was headed in one direction and they took a turn and I got kicked off the ship. And in this case, a lot of [the pushback] came from the show level, because some of the things I said in my tweet, were things we got notes about from the outside that were just ignored. It made me wonder who has the real power? It’s a constant struggle.”

 

[Trini]

Two more articles/interviews with former S&L writer, Nadia Tucker:

https://www.thevulcanreporter.com/interviews/nadria-tucker-superman-lois/

Quote

Superman & Lois writer’s room, compared to the writer’s room culture of SyFy’s Krypton? Did other S&L writers have similar concerns as you?

NT: Multiple writers came to me with similar concerns. The culture–I mean an outline had a character joking about #metoo. To some people, I guess that’s okay and great character development. To me, and I don’t think I’m alone, it’s offensive.

...

TVR: If you were given the opportunity to lead the Superman & Lois writer’s room, what would you add or change?

NT: I of course have a million ideas, and maybe you’ll see some of them in Season 1. But if I were in charge, the first thing I would do is take some classes in managing people, because being a showrunner is more than just slapping some fight scenes on a page. There are real people involved, and they should be treated with respect.

...

TVR: How do you think networks, streaming services, and writer’s rooms, in general, can best avoid what happened in your situation?

NT: I think leadership training is a great start. It comes down to how you treat the people you hire and how the people you hire (showrunners, directors) treat the people THEY hire. That’s where the networks and studios stumble again and again.

 

https://shadowandact.com/superman-and-lois-writer-says-she-was-dropped-from-series-after-raising-concerns

Quote

“I was in the writers' room from the beginning, helping shape the season and individual episodes of the show," she said. “I only know that when he told me I wouldn't be extended, the showrunner said my writing wasn't good enough. He answers to both CW and WB, but the showrunner is the decision-maker."

Tucker said some of her conversations with writers regarding diversity included making sure that scenes are inclusive, but her focus on actor inclusivity didn't go well. “For one, there were so many conversations about casting--down to the background actors.," she said. “All of the representation matters. I think the showrunner responded poorly because to him, diverse casting was a chore. The series shoots in Canada and the showrunner expressed concern about finding actors of color."

 

[Trini]

New suit reveal!

https://twitter.com/cwsupermanlois/status/1336718143243227137

 

The biggest differences are that they changed the neckline an cape attachment; made the 'S' symbol smaller; and changed the belt. I think the wrist/forearm of the sleeves are a little different too.

[Trini]

And from the press release for the suit:

Quote

The new Superman suit, designed by Laura Jean Shannon and built by her L.A.-based Supersuits team in conjunction with Creative Character Engineering, has a classic, timeless vibe that both harkens back to the Superman we all grew up with while grounding him and elevating the suit in a modern arena with updated techniques and applications.

Shannon said: "We got Superman into some custom athletic inspired Super-Boots as a 'jumping off point' and focused on a new neckline and cape to maximize the billowing and movement we all love to see in the books and films that have defined this character for generations. A streamlined muscle structure and updated paint job combined with some dynamic design lines and a sculpted armored belt all took his established custom fabric into a new direction to solidify the new look for Superman in Superman & Lois."

 

[legaleagle53]

Now I want to see him standing beside Kara so I can compare and contrast their super-suits!

[cambridgeguy]

I'd expect most of the cape billowing to be CGI if the budget is there.  I know that when you look at the behind the scenes videos for most movies the caped characters are almost never wearing it.

[Trini]

New Lois & Clark/Smallville promo photo:

----

So I guess they just can't do anything about Hoechlin's permanent 5 o'clock shadow, huh?

[shantown]

15 hours ago, Trini said:

So I guess they just can't do anything about Hoechlin's permanent 5 o'clock shadow, huh?

Which is unfortunate, because it kind of throws me off from viewing him as a believable Clark Kent

[cambridgeguy]

If Clark's "working from home" and/or doing more farm work then the stubble kind of fits.  The first thing most guys do when they don't have to go to the office every day is stop shaving every morning.

[Trini]

10 hours ago, shantown said:

Which is unfortunate, because it kind of throws me off from viewing him as a believable Clark Kent

Huh, for me, it throws off his Superman look.

[legaleagle53]

On 12/13/2020 at 9:40 PM, Trini said:

Huh, for me, it throws off his Superman look.

Yeah, to be honest, I had a problem with that even in the comic books after the 1986 post-Crisis reboot, since prior to that, Superman's invulnerability made it impossible for his hair -- including any facial hair -- and nails to grow because hair and nails are nothing more than modified dead skin cells, and invulnerable skin cells can't die or be shed. Changing that rule post-Crisis so that he COULD grow stubble was supposed to make him a little more human, but to me, it diminished one of the things that set him apart from other superheroes.

[Trini]

Casting news: Adam Rayner will play Morgan Edge

Spoiler

In his new series regular role, Rayner will play the character who is described as “an intelligent, eloquent and impassioned self-made mogul who’s innate ability to motivate is the means to his success and others’ demise.” The character in DC Comics started off as a Daily Planet media mogul and then was later depicted as a supervillain. ...

The article points out that the same character was on Supergirl (Season 3) played by a different actor.

[legaleagle53]

4 hours ago, Trini said:

Casting news: Adam Rayner will play Morgan Edge

  Hide contents

In his new series regular role, Rayner will play the character who is described as “an intelligent, eloquent and impassioned self-made mogul who’s innate ability to motivate is the means to his success and others’ demise.” The character in DC Comics started off as a Daily Planet media mogul and then was later depicted as a supervillain. ...

The article points out that the same character was on Supergirl (Season 3) played by a different actor.

That makes me wonder whether we'll also see a new Cat Grant, since she was first introduced to the DC Universe as a new post-Crisis character not in the Supergirl comics that came out starting in the late 80s, but in the pages of the 1986 Superman reboot as one of Superman's new supporting characters.

[tv echo]

Posted by James Bamford 7 hours ago...
https://www.instagram.com/p/CI-BshHh55f/  

Quote

Day 1 of Superman & Lois episode 1.04 and I’m already in love with this cast and crew! Thanks so much for the wonderful welcome, and the dope shoot today! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay RAIN!!!

Edited December 19, 2020 by tv echo

[Trini]

WB billboard with all the CW/DC shows:

 

[Trini]

Family teaser!

 

A little weird, but it's interesting that they are emphasizing that this is another "version" of Superman; kind of telling people that this one is going to be different. But I feel that's true of every new adaption of the character anyway.

[shantown]

Tyler Hoechlin needs to work on his voiceover voice - I was hoping for something a little more... commanding? Confident? Super?

[Trini]

20 minutes ago, shantown said:

Tyler Hoechlin needs to work on his voiceover voice - I was hoping for something a little more... commanding? Confident? Super?

I wasn't going to say anything... But yeah. I needed more from the narration. However, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt, and marking this as a directing fail. For now.

[Trini]

This was an easy guess to make, but now we have a few quotes that confirm that the previously planned Batwoman/Superman & Lois crossover is not happening.

---

Maybe with the Batwoman premiere they'll have a new promo spot, but it's still ridiculous how little promotion there has been with the show less than 2 months away.

[Proteus]

It was announced during the airing of the Batwoman premiere that Superman & Lois will now have a two hour premiere February 23rd.

[Trini]

3 hours ago, Proteus said:

It was announced during the airing of the Batwoman premiere that Superman & Lois will now have a two hour premiere February 23rd.

That's something, I guess; but they're still dropping the ball by not having a trailer.

[Trini]

 

[Trini]

Premiere night details released:

Quote

The CW Network announced today a "Super" Tuesday event on Tuesday, February 23 with the entire night dedicated to its new series SUPERMAN & LOIS. The night of heroics kicks off with an expanded 90-minute series premiere of SUPERMAN & LOIS (8:00-9:30pm ET/PT), immediately followed by a brand new special, SUPERMAN & LOIS: LEGACY OF HOPE (9:30:10:00pm ET/PT).

...

Immediately following the series premiere of SUPERMAN & LOIS, The CW takes fan behind the scenes with the brand new special SUPERMAN & LOIS: LEGACY OF HOPE, with sneak peeks and interviews from the cast of the new series, plus special guests discussing the legacy of the Man of Steel.

 

[cambridgeguy]

New trailer. And I think it's more proof that Hoechlin's facial hair grows at superhuman speed since it looks like he has stubble in every single shot.

[Trini]

I'm already annoyed at them putting a sepia tone over everything. I hope they scale that back. They certainly seem to want to differentiate this from the other CW/DC shows.

Wow, so their kids didn't know Clark has powers? There's the first family drama right there.

[cambridgeguy]

11 hours ago, Trini said:

Wow, so their kids didn't know Clark has powers? There's the first family drama right there.

The real drama will be if only one gets powers.  That kid can angst over having to hide it while the other can angst over having a massive inferiority complex.  Thanks for resetting the multiverse Oliver!

[ukgirl71]

I loved that trailer!  And I’m glad they seem to be bringing the boys into Clark’s secret early on, rather than waiting for the last episode of the season in some cliff-hanger-ish storyline.

[Proteus]

Awesome trailer. Tyler & Bitsie were never really given much scenes alone together in the crossovers. I think they show a lot of chemistry in the trailer.

[Avabelle]

It looks good 🙂

[Trini]

17 hours ago, ukgirl71 said:

I loved that trailer!  And I’m glad they seem to be bringing the boys into Clark’s secret early on, rather than waiting for the last episode of the season in some cliff-hanger-ish storyline.

It's just weird to me, because I think it's odd that the boys didn't find out/figure it out sooner, or that they weren't even told until now. But I guess they need that for stories/tension/etc.

[tv echo]

Edited January 25, 2021 by tv echo

[scarynikki12]

Dammit! I don’t want Bamboozle involved. Time to stock up on nausea meds. 

[tv echo]

Edited January 26, 2021 by tv echo

[Trini]

I was wondering if they'd do a family poster:

https://twitter.com/cwsupermanlois/status/1354496897898192896

[Trini]

'Superman & Lois Grace the Cover of the New Den of Geek Magazine'

 

 

[tv echo]

Edited February 3, 2021 by tv echo

[Trini]

Extra episodes for Season 1:

Quote

... Additionally, The CW is ordering 5 additional episodes for this season of WALKER, bringing its total episode count for 2020-2021 to 18, and 2 additional episodes of SUPERMAN & LOIS, bringing its total episode count for 2020-2021 to 15.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2021/02/03/the-cw-gives-early-renewals-to-12-current-series-for-next-season-430113/20210203cw01/

[shantown]

30 minutes ago, Trini said:

Extra episodes for Season 1:

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2021/02/03/the-cw-gives-early-renewals-to-12-current-series-for-next-season-430113/20210203cw01/

I wonder how that affects any storylines? You would think they had a 13 episode season planned (and mostly filmed?) already. Adding just two on the end would be kind of a weird end to the season I would think.

[Trini]

19 minutes ago, shantown said:

I wonder how that affects any storylines? You would think they had a 13 episode season planned (and mostly filmed?) already. Adding just two on the end would be kind of a weird end to the season I would think.

Probably not too much? One could be a filler episode, and maybe the other could just extend the season finale arc. They started shooting in late-ish October, so at most they're halfway through. They should have time to tweak things.

[Trini]

Some promo photos from the pilot have been released: https://www.superherohype.com/tv/492722-clark-kent-soars-high-in-superman-and-lois-pilot-photos

[tv echo]

Premieres in 5 hours...

Superman & Lois | All Right Now | Season Promo | The CW
The CW Network      Premieres Feb 7, 2021

 

Edited February 7, 2021 by tv echo

[ukgirl71]

I enjoyed that - looks like Jordan’s gonna be mega teed off with his parents (watch out if he ever finds out about Crisis and the fact he shouldn’t really exist!)