Gran of steel: Meet Superman's family in 'Krypton' TV show
SyFy is reported to be going back even further than "Smallville" to meet Kal-El's grandfather on the planet Krypton.
With "Gotham" currently taking Batman back to his younger days, it's now Superman's turn to go back to his roots -- to when the superhero-born Kal-El wasn't even a twinkle in his daddy's red underoos.
We've already seen the man of steel's boyhood in "Smallville". Now science fiction-focused TV channel Syfy is reported to be developing "Krypton", which will tell the story of Superman's home planet long before it was destroyed at his birth. The show is said to focus on Superman's family, the house of El, whilst Kal-El's grandfather is ostracised from Kryptonian society.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the show is being developed by Warner Horizon Television and DC Comics and will be written and produced by David Goyer and Ian Goldberg. Goldberg has previously written "FlashForward", "Once Upon A Time" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles". Goyer is best known for his work on Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" movies as well as "Blade" and another current DC Comics TV show "Constantine".
Goyer also wrote "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", currently in production starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. That team-up follows on from last year's Superman reboot " Man of Steel", which featured extensive scenes set on Krypton. In "Man of Steel", it's explained that Krypton is a society in stagnation, unable to bear children, threatened by the depletion of natural resources and home to an aggressive military caste.
There's no news on casting yet, but Kal-El's father Jor-El has previously been played on the big screen by Marlon Brando and Russell Crowe.
Rival comic company Marvel dominates the movies with franchises based on Iron Man, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Four Netflix shows are on their way in the next couple of years. DC is racing to get its major characters out there too: "The Flash" and "Arrow" are on TV now, "Supergirl" and "Titans" are in the works, and Aquaman is coming to the movies ready for a planned Justice League team-up.