It’s been 20 years since Smallville first graced our screens, and to mark this huge anniversary, the beloved Superman prequel series is finally being released on Blu-Ray! As announced by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment today, Smallville: The Complete Series 20th Anniversary Edition is set to arrive this October, coming two decades to the month after the show’s very first season premiered.
The set will comprise all 218 episodes of the long-running CW (or WB, as it was when it began) show. Not to mention a whopping 28 hours of bonus features covering all 10 seasons, plus an digital copy that can be redeemed on Movies Anywhere. By the looks of things, no fresh bonus features were created for this special anniversary release, but this edition includes the two discs-worth of extra content that was previously exclusive to the 2011 DVD box set.
Check out the box art, which showcases Tom Welling as Clark Kent, below, along with the full press release for the announcement:
The groundbreaking, Emmy®-winning 10-season hit that redefined the origins of the world’s greatest super hero is all here – from Krypton refugee Kal-El’s arrival on Earth through his tumultuous teen years to Clark Kent’s final steps toward embracing his destiny as the Man of Steel. Relive a decade’s worth of thrills in fantastic adventures full of action, heart and humor in abundance, all anchored by the marvelous performance of Tom Welling at its center. Savor again the series’ thoughtful and imaginative integration and reinvention of the iconic characters of DC lore. And let your spirits be lifted up, up and away.
Starring Tom Welling as “Clark Kent,” Allison Mack as “Chloe Sullivan,” Kristin Kreuk as “Lana Lang,” Michael Rosenbaum as “Lex Luthor,” John Glover as “Lionel Luthor,” Erica Durance as “Lois Lane,” Annette O’Toole as “Martha Kent,” John Schneider as “Jonathan Kent,” Justin Hartley as “Oliver Queen,” Sam Jones III as “Pete Ross,” Cassidy Freeman as “Tess Mercer,” Aaron Ashmore as “Jimmy Olsen,” Eric Johnson as “Whitney Fordman,” Laura Vandervoort as “Kara,” Callum Blue as “Zod,” Jensen Ackles as “Jason Teague” and Sam Witwer as “Davis Bloome,” Smallville has also featured many notable guest stars including Terence Stamp, James Marsters, Michael McKean, Ian Somerhalder, Jane Seymour, Brian Austin Green, Pam Grier, Helen Slater, Michael Ironside, Julian Sands, Tori Spelling, Rutger Hauer and Christopher Reeve.
Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Based on DC Comics characters, Smallville was developed for television by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar. Its executive producers have included Michael Tollin, Brian Robbins, Joe Davola, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, James Marshall, Brian Peterson, Kelly Souders, Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer, Greg Beeman, Ken Horton and Tom Welling. The series is from Tollin/Robbins Productions, Millar/Gough Ink and Warner Bros. Television.
MORE THAN 28 HOURS OF BONUS FEATURES:
- The Adventures of Superboy – The original 1961 pilot starring John Rockwell.
- A Retrospective Look at the Series’ 10-Year Journey – An in-depth, season-by-season look at the creation of this landmark television series. Highlights include interviews with Tom Welling, Eric Durance, Michael Rosenbaum, Phil Morris, John Schneider and many more, as well as rare behind-the-scenes footage.
- A Decade of Comic-Con Featurette
- Paley Festival Featurette
- Smallville’s 100th Episode: Making of a Milestone – An extended version of the original featurette included in the Season 5 set.
- Secret Origin: The American Story of DC Comics – A feature length documentary chronicling DC’s 75 years of challenges, creativity, and triumph.
- Audio Commentaries, Deleted and Extended Scenes, Gag Reels, Behind-the-scenes featurettes and much more from all 10 seasons!
Few superhero TV series have had the continued impact and popularity of Smallville. Even a decade after it ended – with Clark finally taking to the skies as the Man of Steel in the series finale – it remains the longest-running DC (or Marvel) show ever. It also clearly set the template for The CW’s Arrowverse – the currently airing Superman & Lois, for one, owes it a big debt.
In fact, Welling and his old co-star Michael Rosenbaum – who played his friend-turned-nemesis Lex Luthor – recently revealed they are working on getting an animated revival off the ground. It’s unclear how far along this project is at the moment, but hopefully if the sales for this 20th anniversary collection are high, Warner Bros. might take the concept seriously.
Smallville: The Complete Series 20th Anniversary Edition will release on Blu-Ray from this October 19th, 2021. Pre-orders have yet to go live at the time of writing, but anyone who wants to snag a copy should keep an eye out as they should become available soon.