For some reason, David Goyer (creator of FlashForward) is making a show on the Syfy Channel about Superman‘s doomed homeworld. Yes, Krypton will be set two generations before the planet explodes and Kal-El is given the somewhat incorrect title of the Last Son of Krypton. Not much has been known about the show at this point, but today gives us our first peek into the cast of characters.
Goyer (writer/director of Blade: Trinity) has decided to focus on Clark’s grandfather, Seg-El, who is going to be an athletic twentysomething. If that’s not enough of Superman’s family tree for you, Goyer (writer of The Crow: City of Angels) will also be giving screen time to Seg-El’s father and grandfather, Ter-El and Val-El. I’m betting that Jor-El will be sprinting around as a toddler or maybe even a preteen. That’s an el of a lot of Els! I immediately regret that sentence.
Not to be left out of the mix, Goyer (director of The Invisible) has his sights set on General Zod‘s ancestors as well. There’s reluctant warrior Lyta Zod and her mother Alura Zod. Strangely, Alura is also the name of Kara Zor-El‘s mother. I’d be surprised if Goyer (writer/director of The Unborn) isn’t aware of this, though he was famously unaware of the relationship between Hulk and She-Hulk so anything is possible.
The most interesting character is the show’s potential antagonist, Dev-Em. In the comics, he was portrayed as a frequent enemy but eventually found himself on the side of good by the 3oth century when he became an ally to the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Hopefully, Krypton will be able to capture some of Caprica‘s pre-apocalyptic intrigue and world-building. It’s going to be tough watching a show where the defining moment is the characters’ eventual extinction, but here’s hoping that Goyer (showrunner of the cancelled, one season DC adaptation Constantine) and crew can find a way to keep us tuning in each week.
