Superhero properties are known for their blockbuster budgets, but a new report has revealed just how much it costs for one episode of the fan-favorite The CW series, Superman and Lois.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, The CW reportedly spends $5 million an episode on Superman and Lois, putting the show's full-season price tag at around $75 million. With The CW's new owner Nexstar looking at making the network profitable, the writing may be on the wall for expensive scripted programs like Superman and Lois. The CW is currently gutting its scripted divisions as the network prepares for a vast expansion into low-cost reality programming and foreign scripted acquisitions. So far, the only CW original series confirmed to be returning next season is All American.
Will Superman & Lois Last More Than Three Seasons?
While the hefty price tag for Superman and Lois Season 3 may lower its renewal prospects, DC Studios co-head James Gunn recently hinted that he expects the beloved series to continue for a couple more seasons. "It's a show everybody likes, so it's going to keep going for a little bit," Gunn said. However, Gunn did not say whether or Superman and Lois would be shopped to other networks or move to HBO Max should The CW opt not to renew it for a fourth season.
The third season of Superman and Lois will begin several weeks after the Season 2 finale, which saw the Big Blue Boy Scout defeat Ally Allston. Clark and Lois are now working together at the Smallville Gazette and enjoying small-town life. However, according to the Season 3 synopsis, "Lois' own work-life balance is put to the test when an undercover assignment reveals a deadly foe that promises to change the Kent family forever. Superman would move heaven and earth for his family, but with a villain this merciless, even that might not be enough."
Lex Luthor Is Out for Revenge in Superman & Lois Season 3
While the synopsis doesn't reveal the identity of the merciless villain, Season 3 is set to introduce two iconic DC supervillains -- billionaire Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz) and Intergang crime boss Bruno Mannheim (Chad L. Coleman). While it is unknown how Bruno Mannheim will factor into the season's storyline, character details for Lex Luthor have described him as "a brutal psychopath" who is "hellbent on correcting a personal injustice by enacting revenge on the two people he feels have wronged him — Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch)."
Superman and Lois Season 3 premieres on The CW on Tuesday, March 14.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter