Smallville has experienced a lot of big changes behind the scenes as it prepares to launch its eighth season, but the overwhelming vibe that new showrunners Kelly Souders, Brian Peterson, Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer presented at the San Diego Comic-Con was that it'll still be the show fans know and love.  The foursome worked alongside series creators Al Gough and Miles Millar for years before taking the reins of season 8, and they have no intention of straying from the vision of their predecessors.

Though the show will remain the same, many of the characters will be experiencing major changes when the series returns.  The execs, along with star Justin Hartley, talked to the press after the Comic-Con panel to dish on what's coming up for Smallville's characters.

During the panel, the revelation that some of Smallville's producers would love to do a crossover with Supernatural really left fans buzzing.  Is there any chance of it actually happening?  "We never cross anything out," Souders teases.  Peterson adds, "It was talked about in previous seasons, so it is in the realm of possibility."

One thing that will definitely be happening in season 8 is the beginning of Clark's evolution into Superman.  Not only will he start assuming a dual identity, but he'll also get a job at the Daily Planet alongside Lois Lane (Erica Durance).  For fans who worry that Smallville will become a clone of the '90s Lois & Clark TV series, Peterson promises it's not going to happen.  "That isn't the feel of our show, and isn't the characters that people have gotten to know on our show," he says.  "I think as they work together you see the tension and the sparks fly, which is really fun, but it's all born out of the same Clark Kent that we know, and the same Lois that we know on our show, so there is not a change in tone on the show in any way."

Though Clark will be sparking with Lois in season 8, Peterson says that fans of the Chloe/Clark pairing will also have something to look forward to.  "We definitely have an episode this year that addresses a lot of the underlying tension, the sexual tension, the love tension between the two of them.  So we do definitely touch on it this year," he says.

The showrunners still haven't revealed when Michael Rosenbaum will be coming back, but they were very excited to talk about the return of Kristin Kreuk.  The actress will be appearing in five episodes in season 8, but she may not be the same Lana Lang fans are used to.  "She will look different.  Visually, it will not be the Lana Lang that we're used to seeing," Slavkin reveals.  "She's grown up.  She's left Smallville and she's going to come back a woman.  Obviously, she was a woman since she got married, but she's [still] a kid.  She was living in the same town her whole life.  This is her chance to come back with a stronger point of view than she ever has."

As Lana Lang moves toward her future, Oliver Queen will be exploring his past.  Justin Hartley sported some stubble at the convention to film an episode that will reveal the origins of Green Arrow.  "I am about ready to be on an island," he hints.  "We're going to go back into the Smallville mythology a little bit, and kind of explore how Oliver became the Green Arrow, why is he the Green Arrow, and how he became so good at archery, and that kind of stuff."

Hartley also talked about the emotional challenges his character will face.  "Oliver gets broken down a little bit," he says.  "He starts to look at all of the things that he's sacrificed to do what he does, and he starts to wonder whether or not it was worth it, which is kind of cool.  I think everybody does that, but I think once you do that, once you start to question something and your heart's not in it, it becomes really dangerous to keep doing it.  Because you're vulnerable; you're susceptible ... As he starts to question whether or not it's worth it anymore, Clark is starting to embrace his destiny a little bit more.  It's interesting, because the guy that wore the suit is going the other way, and the guy that's never even put the suit on is going the other way.  We start to butt heads a little bit, so it's going to be a lot of fun."

Fans can look forward to seeing their favorite characters undergo major changes when Smallville's eighth season premieres on September 18.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)