Back in August,Supergirlexecutive producerAndrew Kreisbergteased that the highly-anticipated series will feature a Kryptonian villain from theDC Comicsknown asNon, but the character had not been cast at that time. Today,The Hollywood Reporterreveals that villainous role has gone toTransporter the SeriesstarChris Vance. The actor is set for a recurring role, although it isn’t clear how many episodes he is slated to appear in. While he joins a growing cast of villains, Non is expected to beSupergirl’s biggest threat.
Non is a former scientist who used to be aligned with the House of El onKrypton. He eventually became a powerful military officer, described as “sinister, powerful and angry,” who is the “antithesis” for everythingSupergirl(Melissa Benoist) stands for. The actor joins a slew of recurring characters such asPeter Facinelli(Maxwell Lord), Chris Browning (Reactron),Jenna Dewan-Tatum(Lucy Lane/Superwoman),Brit Morgan(Livewire) andIddo Goldberg(Red Tornado), just to name a few. Non was previously played by Jack O’Halloran in directorRichard Donner’sSuperman II.
Executive producerAndrew Kreisbergrevealed in August that theSupergirlseries will have a “slightly different take on Non, thanSuperman II, but it’s becoming clear thatRichard Donner’sSupermanmovies have a big influence on the show, much more so than the current version of Superman, 2013’sMan of Steeland the upcomingBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. We know thatSuperman’s presence will be felt on the show, but it isn’t known if we will ever actually see the Man of Steel. However, during a recent interview withScreen Rant,Mehcad Brooks, who plays Jimmy Olsen, reveals that Marc McClure’s portrayal of Jimmy Olsen informed his performance much more than other versions of the character, and thatChristopher Reevewill always be “his” Superman.
“I grew up on theRichard Donnermovies, so Marc McClure was my first introduction to Jimmy. I thought he was great.Christopher Reeve, he was the Superman for me, will always be my Superman first of all. Probably so.”
Supergirlcertainly won’t be “based” onRichard Donner’sSupermanmovies, nor will they take cues from 2013’sMan of Steel, especially sinceKara Zor-Eldoesn’t appear in either of those movies. However, executive producer Sarah Schechter revealed that they wantSupergirlto follow the tone of the originalSupermanmovies, which were more light and fun. Here’s what the producer had to say about how they want to replicate the tone of those early superhero adventures.
“The tone of those movies was just really fun, you know? And it doesn’t mean the stakes don’t feel real, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t danger. It doesn’t mean that characters won’t die, but the hopefulness of that world, the fun of that world for us was just, it was irresistible. And look, people have hard lives, people have to work at jobs they don’t like, they have to struggle to feed their families. There’s enough darkness in the world that to give people an hour of hope and excitement and possibility, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I think it’s a really good thing.”
In related news,Screen Rantalso spoke toPeter Facinelliat New York Comic Con about his character, Maxwell Lord. In the comics, Maxwell Lord has been portrayed as both a hero and a villain, and it seems he will be shown in a similar manner on the upcoming series, revealing that he isn’t driven by “evil,” but rather “what his version of good is.” Here’s what the actor had to say below.
“He is all about saving the Earth. He thinks his way is the best way of doing it and he doesn’t really like that these superheroes are tearing things up on the planet. He believes in humanity and that humanity should save themselves. He’s kind of anti-superhero. I think in the comic books he’s moreDonald Trump-esque and in this show he’s moreElon Musk. So there’s different types of billionaires and I think his is more of aGeorge Clooneyon the cover of GQ as opposed toDonald Trumpon the cover of Forbes. I read a lot of stuff on Maxwell, but I think with this it’s a different version of him so I didn’t want to be too tied down to what the comics are.”
In the comics, Lord tries to show the world how much of a threat superheroes pose to humanity, so it seems like we may see this unique character going afterSupergirlin a similar fashion. What do you think about all of these newSupergirldetails? Let us know, and stay tuned for more onSupergirlas we inch closer and closer to the series premiere on Monday, October 26 at 8:30 PM ET on CBS.
