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Tyler Hoechlin ‘Superman’ Series Less Likely Now Than Before ‘Black Lightning’

By Daniel Ketchum
Published on: 15:30 PST, Mar 26, 2017

As echoed by the superhero fans over at Collider, many people consider Tyler Hoechlin’s portrayal of Superman on Supergirl to be the best version of the character we’ve seen since Christopher Reeve. This version of the Man of Steel presents us with the hero we all remember from our childhood, meaning someone who wasn’t dark and brooding – unlike the somewhat grim Superman we got from Henry Cavill on the big screen.

This is one reason why so many fans have been clamoring for a new CW superhero series featuring Hoechlin as Superman. They want a version of Superman who talks about hope, not the futility of existence.

But despite this very positive reaction to Hoechlin’s performance by fans, any hopes that it might lead to a future Superman series have largely been dashed. The producers themselves have made it quite clear that they have no plans in the immediate future to do a spinoff series featuring Tyler Hoechlin – or anyone else –as Superman.

There are probably a number of sound reasons for this decision. After all, The CW already has a full slate of superhero/comic book-based shows as it is. Right now, they have Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and iZombie. Aside from Gotham, The CW is basically the home for DC comic adaptions.

So the principal player behind The CW/DC television universe – Greg Berlanti – already has a lot on his plate. Juggling all of these shows and carrying out massive crossover events between them is no small feat.

Another reason why The CW and Berlanti’s team might be reluctant to introduce a brand-new Superman series starring Tyler Hoechlin is that it would be – paradoxically – extremely popular. In fact, it might be so popular that it could eclipse their efforts to promote Supergirl.

One of the primary reasons producers were so reluctant to have Superman appear on Supergirl at all was the fear that Kara might disappear in his shadow. Superman has – in the comics and on television – always been a much more popular character than his Kryptonian cousin. This part of the reason why Superman only appeared as a blur in Supergirl’s first season on CBS.

Of course, there was also the reluctance at Warner Bros studio to have any of the Big Three –Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman – show up on TV at a time when they are also on the big screen. But following the somewhat disappointing results of Batman V Superman, the studio seemed to soften is stance in this area, allowing a fully realized version of Superman to finally show up in Supergirl.

But the most likely reason why The CW will not be moving forward with a Tyler Hoechlin-led Superman series is that they are already adding yet another DC property with Black Lightning. As reported by Deadline, The CW has ordered a pilot for this potential new series, which would give them a truly stacked lineup of DC superheroes next fall if they pick it up.

Black Lightning is apparently going to be – in the show’s pilot episode – a retired super hero who has been forced back into battling bad guys by the need to protect his family and neighborhood. Casting of many of the roles has already been done.

So unless this series happens to fail – a highly unlikely event given the almost uniform success the DC superhero shows have enjoyed – there simply wouldn’t be room for Tyler Houchlin to play Superman. We’ll just have to be satisfied with his occasional appearance on Supergirl – and possibly some of the other The CW shows.

[Featured Image by The CW]

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