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'SMALLVILLE' SHAKE-UP | | With longtime producers exiting, what's in store for the landmark 8th season? | | | By Jake Rossen | | Posted 06/04/08 | |  | |  In his seven years on the CW Network (formerly the WB), Clark Kent has suffered the loss of adoptive father Jonathan (heart attack), best friend Pete (moved away) and politically charged mom Martha (to Washington).
But the show's latest casualties may be his biggest test of mettle yet: Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the show's executive producers since its pilot episode in 2001, have announced their departure from the series. The pending absence has fans wondering if Kent will still be flying high in his next season.
Why did Millar and Gough leave?
According to reports, the producing duo succumbed to every industry type's Kryptonite: contractual disputes. Millar and Gough were looking for heftier compensation, presumably in light of the series' success over a near-decade on the airwaves. They also wanted more time to dabble in feature films. (The two wrote an early draft of this summer's "Iron Man.")
Who's taking over?
Deep breath: Darren Swimmer, Todd Slavkin, Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson will be assuming producer duties. All four have been longtime "Smallville" writers, and it's believed they had been the driving force behind the show in recent years.
Will we see any obvious changes?
Any tonal changes in the series could come as a result of producers abandoning Gough/Millar's original edict of "no flights, no tights." More sweeping alterations are going to be prompted by cast shake-ups: Both Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) and Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) are leaving the show to pursue other career opportunities.
Will Rosenbaum and Kreuk be back?
Rosenbaum, who has essayed the role of Luthor since the series' inception, has elected not to renew his contract for an eighth season, but it's believed he's open to guest appearances. The same goes for Kreuk, who might return for a few episodes, and posted on her Website that "I have loved my time on the show, but I am as equally thrilled to move on to new endeavors." (Kreuk will appear in 2009's "Street Fighter" film, based on the video game of the same name.)
Will the eighth season be the last?
At 31 years old, series star Tom Welling can thank good genetics for his believable portrayal of a college-aged Kent. But with his contract up after year eight—and ratings having slipped slightly in the seventh season, with 600,000 fewer viewers tuning in than the previous year—it's conceivable that the farm boy will finally take his fateful flight to Metropolis after next season.
(Or not: Henry Winkler, the star of "Happy Days," inhabited teenager Fonzie's iconic leather jacket until age 39.) | | | | | | | | |
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