Syfy ‘Krypton’ Cast Calls for ‘Super’-Friends and Zod’s Family

Even as DC TV finally introduces small-screen Superman for Supergirl Season 2, Syfy remains committed so the Man of Steel’s distant past. Following an official pilot order for Syfy’s Krypton, a new report details everything from Superman’s grandfather, to Zod’s familial ties, and even a Legion of Superheroes connection.

Take this with a meteor of salt for now, but TVLine obtained the initial casting call for Syfy’s Krypton pilot, which itself features not only Kal-El’s grandfather, but also a number of recognizable names from Kryptonian lore:

SEG-EL | Envisioned here as athletic, quietly confident and in his 20s, comic fans are familiar with an older (and a bit grumpier) Seg from his appearance in the classic Starman No. 51, written by James Robinson with story by Robinson and David S. Goyer, who is executive producer/writer of Krypton. But Seg’s a good guy at any age; in the comics, he and son Jor-El (Kal-El/Superman’s father) helped Starman get away while other Kryptonians wanted to detain – and dissect – the Earthling.

LYTA ZOD | This twentysomething beauty will likely have some familial tie to Superman’s future foe, General Zod, while she herself is a (reluctant) warrior.

VAL-EL | Seg’s genius grandpa defied death by going into the Phantom Zone, and is a staunch believer in space exploration. (We know that’s a lesson he’ll pass along to his great-grandson.)

ALURA ZOD | Lyta’s mom happens to bear the same name as Kara Zor-El’s mother on Supergirl, while “Zod” always raises an eyebrow because of that whole “kneel before” thing.

DEV-EM | If anyone is going to survive Krypton’s inevitable fate, it’ll be this chiseled, twentysomething bad boy. In the comics, Dev escapes the doomed planet, abuses Superboy on Earth and eventually becomes an ally of the Legion of Super-Heroes… in the 30th century.

TER-EL | AKA Seg’s father. We didn’t get him to play Supergirl’s Man of Steel, but maybe Tom Welling (Smallville) could play Clark’s great-grandfather on Krypton?

The new series will be executive produced by Man of Steel scribe David Goyer and directed by Peaky Blinders helmer Colm McCarthy, while Sleepy Hollow alum Damian Kindler recently joined as executive producer and showrunner. Goyer and Kindler will rewrite the original pilot teleplay, itself co-penned by Goyer and Ian Goldberg.

Set 200 years before (but not directly tied to) Man of Steel, so reads the Krypton synopsis:

Years before the Superman legend we know, the House of El was shamed and ostracized. This series follows The Man of Steel’s grandfather as he brings hope and equality to Krypton, turning a planet in disarray into one worthy of giving birth to the greatest Super Hero ever known.

No telling what kind of Kryptonian shenanigans Super-grandpa or Zod’s folks will get up to, but does Krypton sound like a worthy vision of the Man of Steel’s roots?