Supergirl’s move from CBS to the CW wasn’t the only major change the new superhero series underwent for its sophomore season. As we learned this summer, the show’s executive producers decided to add yet another DC Comics character to the CW-verse with an introduction in Supergirl Season 2: the Man of Steel himself, Superman. The casting searchdidn’t take long, as Teen Wolf and Everybody Wants Some!! actor Tyler Hoechlin was soon announced as the actor who would be donning the tights, and now a new image from Supergirl has landed online that shows Supes all suited up alongside Melissa Benoist’s title character.
The image comes courtesy of EW, which also has some surprising information on how Hoechlin landed the role. The actor tells the magazine that he didn’t even have to audition for the part—he had one meeting with the show’s producers, and that was that:
“Honestly, it was the strangest thing — there wasn’t an audition. I had a great meeting with [executive producers] Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg [in June]. I had been told that the meeting would have something to do with Supergirl, but nothing really specific. Halfway through, they brought up the idea of introducing Superman to the show and asked if I’d be interested. I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely. I’m obviously a fan.’ I believe that was on a Monday. On Friday, we got a call with the offer, so it was very quick. It was very flattering, and I wish every job came about that way.”
Hoechlin had a main role on the TV series 7th Heaven throughout its run, but broke out in a bigger way on the MTV series Teen Wolf. However, when it came time to prep for that show’s fifth season, Hoechlin abruptly left the series in favor of a role in Richard Linklater’s fantastic 80s-set college movie Everybody Wants Some!!. It turned out to be a wise decision as Hoechlin absolutely shines in one of 2016’s brighter gems, and it’s possible his work in the film played a role in him landing the offer to play Superman without so much as an audition. Moreover, in Everybody Wants Some!! Hoechlin starred opposite Benoist's husband Blake Jenner, so the onscreen relatives likely already had a rapport.
It’s unclear how large of a role Hoechlin will have in Supergirl overall, but The CW-verse has been flying high with The Flash and Arrow thus far, with a big four-show crossover that also includes DC’s Legends of Tomorrow on tap for the upcoming 2016-17 TV season. However, Superman is a massive character, and despite the popularity of Grant Gustin’s Flash or Stephen Amell’s Arrow, it’s gonna be interesting to see how the producers refrain from overshadowing those characters when introducing Superman into the mix. Of course it’s entirely possible that Superman stays put on Supergirl for the time being, but here’s hoping the series is still able to maintain its primary focus on Supergirl regardless.
Supergirl Season 2 begins on Monday, October 10th on its new network The CW.
