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The just-released Superman trailer gave us a first look at Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and a bunch (if not the first) of looks at David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman. What we couldn't see, of course, was what was going on behind the scenes, particularly in how the actors were approaching their roles. But what we do know now is that, for both Corenswet and Hoult, one particular source of inspiration went into their respective roles.

That is, the WB teen drama Smallville.

Speaking with ScreenRant, both the film's primary protagonist and antagonist were asked about how they first encountered the adventures of the Man of Steel. And while Pearl star Corenswet was clear that he "knew what [Superman] was before I had ever seen [him]," some of his earliest memories of the character came from the The WB/CW network show.

"Anywhere you can show a kid the Superman symbol," Corenswet said, "and whether they've seen a comic or a movie, they know that that's Superman. It's just bigger than any one iteration of it. I sneaked episodes of Smallville while growing up after school, and I remember seeing Superman Returns in the theaters. That was sort of when I was coming of age, and I remember that iteration since then."

Hoult was even more specific in his love for how Smallville tackled Superman's massive lore in DC Comics lore, particularly giving a shoutout to series star (and fellow Lex Luthor) Michael Rosenbaum.

"I think I'd never seen any Superman," said Nosferatu star Hoult, "but Smallville was [...] my first probably real understanding of the world. Michael [Rosenbaum] did a fantastic job as Lex did in that. So that was a great first welcoming into the culture, I suppose."

Does this mean we'll see hints of Rosenbaum's Lex in Hoult's performance? Or that Corenswet will have just a touch of that Tom Welling Kent charm about him? We'll have to wait and find out when Superman soars into theaters July 11, 2025. In the meantime, learn to love Smallville like the new DCU Supes and Lex do, via Popverse's coverage of the Smallville panel from NYCC 2022.

James Gunn's Superman is flying into theaters soon enough, and Popverse has all you need to prepare. Refreshing your cinematic memory with our Superman movie watch order, learn what we know about the upcoming Superman movie, Superman's S-Shield through the ages, and read about what DC is doing ahead of their flagship hero's triumphant return.