2000 TV News Archives
September 19, 2000: WB Network Flies with Superman
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - "Superman" is flying back to primetime via the WB, which has ordered 13 episodes of an hourlong adventure-drama about Clark Kent at age 15.The show is targeted to premiere during the 2001-02 season. Brian Robbins ("Varsity Blues") is attached to direct the pilot episode.
The so-called "Teenage Clark Kent Project" will follow the adolescent Kent as he comes to grips with his emerging superpowers, exploring every aspect of the "Superman" mythology from its roots.
Familiar characters such as Lex Luthor (originally a pal of Kent's) and Lois Lane will be included; the show will be set in the present time. The emphasis of the series will be on Kent rather than his alter-Superego.
WB Entertainment president Susanne Daniels declined to discuss financial specifics of the deal, except to say that the license fee the network is shelling out is "in line with 'Angel' and 'Roswell."'
"The pitch was fantastic," Daniels said. "Every character was worked out in depth. They mapped out the story arcs, the specific mysteries... This was one of those pitches you want to work with."
The series will be much more action-focused than "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," but will still contain a strong dose of humor. Circumstances such as Kent's first experimentation with X-Ray vision and other powers will also arise.
This won't even be the first time that the youthful adventures of the hero from planet Krypton have been documented on TV.
From 1988 to 1991 Viacom distributed the half-hour syndicated action series "Superboy," which chronicled the man of steel in college. John Haymes Newton played collegiate Superman, until he left in a contract dispute and was replaced by Gerard Christopher. Seventy-eight episodes of the series were produced.
Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher then starred in ABC's "Lois & Clark," which focused more on humor and romance elements than past "Superman" revivals. It started out strongly in 1993, but later saw its ratings fortunes tumble and was pulled in 1997, even though the series had been given a greenlight for a sixth season.
"Superman" has a long history in TV as both live-action and animated series, going back to 1951's "The Adventures of Superman," starring George Reeves. Until recently, Kids' WB had aired "The New Batman/Superman Adventures" cartoon.
Source: Reuters
Author: Josef Adalian and Michael Schneider
2000 Television News
Listed below are all the Television News items archived for 2000.- January 29, 2000: Superman Animated Finales
- March 26, 2000: New Batman/Superman Adventures and Batman Beyond garner a total of 9 Daytime Emmy Nominations
- March 31, 2000: Save Superman: The Animated Series!
- April 11, 2000: Paul Dini Spills the Beans
- May 3, 2000: Dean Cain Superman Cape on Auction
- May 7, 2000: “The Adventures of Superman” Add to TV Land's Regular Line-Up
- May 25, 2000: George Reeves Original Superman Costume on Auction
- June 18, 2000: Superbaby Born
- August 8, 2000: Boomerang Brings Back Superman Cartoons
- August 18, 2000: Superman to appear in 'Batman Beyond'
- September 19, 2000: WB Network Flies with Superman
- November 1, 2000: Superman on Batman Beyond on Saturday November 11
- November 7, 2000: Proposed Variety ad for July, 2001
- November 10, 2000: Superman on Batman Beyond - Update
- November 21, 2000: JLA: The Animated Series
- November 24, 2000: Hand-Pick Your Favorite 'Adventures of Superman' Episodes
- December 7, 2000: JLA: The Animated Series gets the Green Light!
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