Step aside, Smallville: Superman’s origin story starts well before he lands on Earth, as Syfy will prove with the new prequel series Krypton.
Access Hollywood reports that Syfy has commissioned Man of Steel screenwriter (and Constantine co-creator) David S. Goyer and writer Ian B. Goldberg to develop a Superman prequel series.
Krypton will take place on the planet of the same name, and follow Clark Kent (or Kal-El)’s grandfather as he “brings hope and equality” to the world… until, of course, it’s all eventually blown to bits.
We will see the father of Jor-El take on a crumbling society, and turn Krypton into a birthplace worthy of Superman.
A story set in a doomed world is a tried and tested concept: storytellers keep returning to the worlds of Pompeii, Troy and Atlantis, to explore what life was like before an apocalyptic event destroyed everything.
Krypton can’t be expected to premiere until 2016 at the earliest. Goyer and Goldberg have created the story together, and now Goldberg is set to pen the pilot script. Both will serve as producers on the new series.
Ian Goldberg’s writing credits include Once Upon a Time, FlashForward and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.