After a ratings-challenged first season on CBS, Supergirl got a new lease on life when it was rescued by The CW, which is probably a more suitable home for it anyway. As part of that second season, which will see the character crossover with Arrow, The Flash, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow at some point, we'll also be getting the first full appearances of Kara Zor-El's (Melissa Benoist) cousin, Superman. Sorry Smallville fans, but your hopes Tom Welling would suit up for the role once again have just been dashed.
Tyler Hoechlin, who was last seen in Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!!, will play Kal-El aka the Man of Steel. He'll show up in the first two episodes next season, which is a change from before when he was merely glimpsed in silhouette or referred to indirectly. Here's what producer Andrew Kreisberg said about the casting...
“Greg [Berlanti] and I have wanted to work with Tyler for ages, so this worked out perfectly because Tyler is Superman. We are so thrilled and humbled to add another amazing actor to the legacy of this iconic character.”
In one of the flimsier pre-Batman v Superman rumors, Hoechlin was said to be up for the role of Bruce Wayne. Obviously that would have been a VERY different movie he were cast rather than Ben Affleck. But this will be Hoechlin's first official gig in the superhero realm, and if Supergirl sticks around for a while it's unlikely to be his last.
