‘Legion of Super Heroes’ Coming to ‘Smallville’

Smallville
Well the guys over at IGN Comics recently spoke to prolific comic book write Geoff Johns. Johns has written an episode of Smallville for this season, which will see the introduction of DC Comics’ Legion of Super Heroes into the series which is awesome news for us Smallville fans.

Asked about that episode, Johns said, "I’m actually in Vancouver all week for the filming. Wait until you see it. So far it’s been amazing to be involved with the writers in Los Angeles, particularly Darren Swimmer. And the cast and crew have been awesome – Tom [Welling], Allison [Mack] and Kristin [Kreuk] are in my episode and they are freaking amazing. Tom came up with a fantastic addition to the Legion Code, he impresses the hell out of me. He keeps the energy up on the set, keeps things fun, and he’s unbelievably smart. He approaches everything with incredible intelligence."

He also talked about the Smallville actors in which , Johns said, "Allison is not only an amazing actress, and she had to do some pretty intense things in this episode, she’s the nicest person ever. She’s also incredibly respectful of the fan base of the show and how far reaching it is. Every line she delivers makes you smile. Kristen is an unbelievable actress too. She delivered such a powerful scene Tuesday, it was more heartfelt than anything I could ever deliver on a page. She made the scene come to life. And, like Tom and Allison, [she’s] super nice."

Johns went on to add, "I love who they have playing the Legion. They look great. I’ll talk more about them when they’re announced. But they freaking rock. Legion rings, the villain’s weapon — holy s**t, wait until you see HIM– "Grife!", they are the Legion."

Johns was very happy about his experience on set, noting, "James Marshall, the executive producer up here, has put together an unbelievable crew. The crew up here is really a family, many of them having worked together for eight years. I’ve been up here for a week and I already feel like I’m a surrogate member. I’ve never enjoyed myself this much on a set, ever. Watching everyone work so hard to bring the Legion to life is a dream. But the superhero of the show for me has been the director, Glen Winter. I’m amazed to watch him, how instinctual he is on the set, how much he’s embraced the Legion, how he directs the actors and his shot choices… I worked for Richard Donner when I got out of school and he had an incredible instinct and talent for making the set come alive, making it all fun and really letting the love for the material shine through. Glen’s the same way. If there’s a season 9, I’d kill to do another episode with Glen. It’s been an unbelievable experience all around."

Asked if he had to make any tough compromises to make the Legion fit in the Smallville world, John replied, "I’m actually surprised by how faithful the Legionnaires will be to the comics. It’s really faithful to the comic book series. Who they are as people, what they do, it’s all in there. Obviously it’s going to be a little different because they’re just coming back for the first time to meet Clark. They’re uniforms are the Smallville versions, not spandex. But I’m really happy with how faithful it is. And writing the first live action of the Legion is an honor."

So will you be tuning in to see this episode when it airs?

Smallville’s Allison Mack, Interview Part 2

TVGuide.com: Were you at all embarrassed by the drama surrounding your decision to re-sign for all 22 episodes this season?
Allison Mack: Embarrassed? I don’t think I would use that word. It’s a decision that I took a lot of time to really look into, and I was really happy with the decision that I came to.

TVGuide.com: Well, by "embarrassed" I meant, "Ack, all this attention is on little ol’ me!"
Mack: Ah – are you kidding? I’m an actress, I love the attention. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Chloe fans, of course, want to see her and Clark continue to "Scooby" and investigate things together. Is some of that ahead this season?
Mack: Yeah, but not as much. You see more of Clark and Lois taking off a bit more, which is great. But while you don’t see as much of Clark and Chloe doing that, you’ll see them doing other things together. Their relationship is really changing.

TVGuide.com: I was reading the script for Episode 9, "Abyss," where we flash back to Chloe and Clark’s first kiss, in the farmhouse hayloft. How was it watching your "young" selves film that scene?
Mack: I saw them shooting that scene just the other day…. It was adorable. Adorable. They even have the little girl playing Chloe in like a traditional old-school Chloe wig, with my funky haircut, the whole deal. It’s very cute.

TVGuide.com: She has a great line about kissing her new friend "just to get it out of the way."
Mack: Yeah, so it wouldn’t be awkward. It was very, very cute. It was these great little actors from Vancouver.

TVGuide.com: Is Chloe heading back to the "Daily Planet" anytime soon?
Mack: I miss the "Daily Planet"! I haven’t been on that set in ages…. Chloe’s working at [The] Isis [Foundation] pretty much full-time now, working for Lana.

TVGuide.com: What can you tease about the "fever letter" resurfacing in this week’s episode?
Mack: Oh, there’s definitely some drama that arises because of Jimmy and that letter….

TVGuide.com: Drama that brings about a shift in their relationship?
Mack: Potentially….

TVGuide.com: Episode 10, "Bride," is rumored to be chock full of interesting stuff. And you are the bride.
Mack: I haven’t read that script yet, so I don’t really know what’s in it. But I’m assuming that it’s going to be chock full of everything.

TVGuide.com: There are rumors that Chloe will die, that she’ll be brought back to life, that there won’t even be a wedding….
Mack: Oh really? [Laughs] I think that there is a wedding, because we’re doing a lot of fittings for dresses right now.

TVGuide.com: And how has that been?
Mack: Um, weird! Totally bizarre. It was strange, like the proposal scene where I was like, "Don’t get down on your knees! Stand up! I’m not dealing with this [sort of stuff in real life] yet!" [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Seeing yourself in a bridal gown, did the girl inside you go, "Awww…. I’m so pretty!"
Mack: No, that’s not really my thing. I’ve never really been interested or into that, weddings and the bridal concept. So really, it just feels a bit strange more than anything.

TVGuide.com: Did you ever get to see the comic-book rendition of Chloe? [DC Comics had planned to feature Chloe in a Superman story at some point, but later changed its mind.]
Mack: They had me sign off on the image, and it was cool! It’s kind of wacky to think that DC owns an image of me at this time in my life, and that any time Chloe might be used, it will be in my likeness. I’m flattered.

TVGuide.com: In what ways did comic-book Chloe differ from TV’s Chloe?
Mack: Oh…. Bigger boobs. [Laughs] That’s pretty much the main thing.

TVGuide.com: But not, like, ridiculously bigger….
Mack: Nooo, not ridiculously bigger. But bigger.

TVGuide.com: You don’t have a television, but if you did watch TV….
Mack: If I were to watch DVD sets, I really like Mad Men; that’s an amazing show. And I got really into The Sopranos there for a little while.

TVGuide.com: How else do you like to spend your free time?
Mack: Mmmm…. [Distracted] Sorry, I’m eating chocolate ─ how rude! So… one answer would be "eating chocolate"! [Laughs] I do a lot of traveling, and I’m very into the arts, so any time there’s a dance show or a gallery opening, I’m into all different sorts of things.

 

Smallville’s Allison Mack, Interview Part 1

TVGuide.com: For starters, congratulations on being the top-rated female in our Sexiest Sci Fi Stars poll.
Allison Mack:
Really?! [Laughs] I had no idea! That’s cool.

TVGuide.com: Well-played!
Mack:
Thank you! That’s so interesting….

TVGuide.com: The last time we spoke was two years ago ("Smallville‘s Chloe, You Got Us Mail"). How would you say Chloe has changed in that time?
Mack:
Oh my gosh…. Well, she’s come to have superpowers, she’s been killed about four times [Laughs], she’s getting married, she’s been infected by Brainiac….. I think she has come into her own in a way that she never has before. I think she’s starting to understand what she wants separate and aside from Clark, and she is building her own relationship with herself and her own life, and proactively going after all of that instead of just running around and doing whatever she thinks Clark needs. She’s grown into her own woman.

TVGuide.com: Has it felt different on the set this season with Michael [Rosenbaum, Lex] and Kristin [Kreuk, Lana] gone, and some new faces around?
Mack:
It has, it has, it’s been very different. But it’s also lovely. Cassidy Freeman (Tess) and Sam [Witwer, Davis] are fantastic, fantastic actors, and they’re so passionate about the show. It’s breathing new life into the show in a way we really needed.

TVGuide.com: It looks like we have a very wild year ahead for Chloe….
Mack:
Yes, there’s lots of craziness happening, which for me is great.

TVGuide.com: The producers have said this is the year of "double identities." How does that factor into Chloe’s world?
Mack:
You guys have way more information than we ever get, you realize that, right? [Laughs] Well, on the one hand, she’s still doing work with Clark and getting married to Jimmy and doing her lovely, good-girl Chloe thing, and on the other hand she’s struggling with this "pull" towards Davis and these dark, evil tendencies and a want to destroy things, which is very much Brainiac. She has a massive pull between these two sides of her that’s he’s struggling to suppress until she learns to understand it.

TVGuide.com: All told, how will her increasing powers manifest themselves?
Mack:
She’s ridiculously intelligent – like highly, highly, highly brilliant, and able to take in information in a way that is beyond anything one could ever imagine. She can relate to computers in a way she never was able to before….

TVGuide.com: She was pretty damn handy with a computer before, too!
Mack:
Yes, absolutely. But she was a very good soul with very good intentions, and she still strives to be that, but she’s not necessarily succeeding anymore.

TVGuide.com: The Chloe-Jimmy-Davis triangle: Is it going to be played pretty fairly, or is Davis going to have a slight edge here?
Mack:
He’s going to have a slight edge because there’s an attraction to Davis that neither of us can understand, one that comes from a Krypton sort of place. Davis has a bit of an upper hand in that respect because there’s a biological pull they’re both feeling but not understanding.

TVGuide.com: Plus he’s all shiny and new and interesting.
Mack:
He is shiny and new and interesting, and that’s always nice. Then again, there’s a tried-and-true loyal quality that Jimmy has exhibited. So there’s also that.

TVGuide.com: How quickly will Chloe become suspicious of Mr. Bloome (aka Doomsday)? How soon will she suspect that something is….
Mack:
Amiss? That would mean she would have to recognize that there was something negative about her. It’s going to take a little while before she actually starts evaluating that there might be something wrong with him. She’s defending him right now, in a pretty major way.

TVGuide.com: There are fans who email me every week to talk about how you and Tom Welling have the best chemistry on the show….
Mack:
Awwww…. We’ve been working together forever, so that’s probably par for the course.

TVGuide.com: Right, but having worked together "forever," is that chemistry something you have to revisit each season? Or is it what it is?
Mack:
I don’t think we work at it at all, it’s something that we’ve learned in each other and that we’ve built. It’s not something that goes away. There’s an affection for each other – I adore him, and I think there’s a similar fondness for me back – and that comes from "growing up" together. That isn’t something we have to rekindle. It will always exist between us.

Next week, in Part 2 of this Q&A: Allison assays the new parameters of the "Chlark" relationship, previews the upcoming episodes "Instinct," "Abyss" and "Bride," and shares her amusing take on the never-to-be-seen comic-book rendition of Chloe.