"Supergirl" executive producer Andrew Kreisberg recently discussed bringing the Man of Steel to The CW with Collider, where he shared how the creative team settled on Tyler Hoechlin's casting and what past iterations inspired their take on the iconic character.
Hoechlin will be filling some big shoes when he makes his "Supergirl" debut this fall, and according to the show's producer, the actor's "take on him is probably something a little bit more traditional. There’s certainly a little bit of the 'Aw shucks' about him, but he’s been Superman for a while, so there’s a savviness about him as Superman and as Clark."
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In terms of why Kreisberg and the producing team settled on Hoechlin, he said, "As soon as we said we were going to do Superman, Greg [Berlanti] mentioned Tyler [Hoechlin]. We’ve been fans of his for years, and when we sat down with him, he is Superman. Not just with the looks, but he’s such a good guy, such a nice guy, and he’s so open and forthright and brimming with life. You just feel better when you’re around him, which I think is part of the secret of Superman. He is that ideal, but not in an unattainable way. Superman should make you feel like you can do anything, even though he’s the one that can do anything. And Tyler just had all that in spades."
Hoechlin joins a number of actors who have donned the famous "S," including current big-screen Man of Steel Henry Cavill, "Smallville" star Tom Welling, and "Superman Returns" actor Brandon Routh. When asked what past iterations of Clark have inspired "Supergirl's" version of Superman, Kreisberg said: "There’s a little bit of the Christopher Reeve's Superman in there, a healthy dose of the ['Superman: The Animated Series,'] which we’re huge fans of, a little bit of 'Lois & Clark,' a little George Reeves, and a little 'Super Friends.'"
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Superman will also be in a different emotional space than his cousin Kara in season two. While Kara spent most of season one balancing her professional life, her personal life and her superhero life, Clark has had 12 years to find his groove. "He’s been Superman for 12 years, that also means that he’s been Clark Kent for 12 years. He knows how to interview somebody. He knows how to get a story out of someone. As always, with any of these things, we’re never doing a direct adaptation of a specific comic book. We cherry pick the best parts and things that we love."
Superman is currently scheduled to appear in the first two episodes of season two, which is slated to premiere on The CW Monday, Oct. 10.