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Michael Rosenbaum Discusses His Smallville Departure

Michael Rosenbaum discussed his departure from Smallville in a new interview with Katee Sackhoff.

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Michael Rosenbaum paid a visit to his friend Katee Sackhoff‘s podcast Blah Blah Blah with Katee Sackhoff for an hour-plus-long discussion about careers, life, on-screen kisses, and more. The part that might matter most to Smallville fans, though, is that Michael talked about his departure from the show after Season 7 as well as being known as the best Lex Luthor (a sentiment shared on this very website).

On the podcast, Michael discusses how he was originally only contracted for six seasons but did extend it to include a seventh. When the time came to sign on beyond that, he was ready to leave, but Warner Bros. Television President Peter Roth wanted to meet him for lunch, ostensibly to make an offer. Even though Michael had worked for Roth for over a decade, the interaction was “like the first time he ever met me,” Michael says.

According to Michael, Peter Roth proposed a three-year deal… for the exact same amount of money he was getting on his previous contract. “That was it,” he says. After that, he didn’t want to counter, and didn’t care what they’d offer afterward.  “That was it. I knew I had to respect myself, and it wasn’t worth it,” he recalls.

Which isn’t to say Smallville was a bad experience, despite having to play the same character for so many years. He always committed to and respected the role… and if people say he’s “known mostly as Lex Luthor,” that’s okay.

“F**k, yeah,” he says about that response. “If I’m known for that, and that’s the only thing in my life… that’s not awesome? I used to think ‘I’ve gotta do something better…’ How are you going to be better than playing a great character like that on a great show for so many years? Just to be lucky enough to be on a great show and be good in something is amazing. I honestly like that that’s how I’ll be remembered. That’s the best thing ever.”

At one point, Katie Sackhoff brings up the notion that many have named Michael as their favorite Lex Luthor — while Michael himself lists Gene Hackman as his favorite, the topic did also cover how even new DC Studios head (and personal friend to Michael) James Gunn has said that he was his favorite Lex Luthor. “It’s cool to see your peers and people you respect and admire, and your friends say that,” Michael says.

Michael isn’t Lex in the new Superman: Legacy film – that will be Nicholas Hoult – but Michael describes director James Gunn as “brilliant.” “I hope it’s brilliant,” he says about the movie, too. But no – it’s a different direction, and his friendship with Gunn doesn’t mean he would be guaranteed a part like that.

“That’s a thing that people think about this industry. They think you’re gonna meet someone and become friends with them, and they’re just gonna put you in everything. That does not happen. I’m here to say that that does not happen. It doesn’t mean that they’re not thinking of you; just [that] they have a vision for their projects, and sometimes it just doesn’t fit in their mind,” he says. (Gunn did use Michael in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, however, where he played Martinex.)

The entire podcast is a good listen; you can check it out embedded below.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. QuntBizkit

    February 6, 2024 at 5:14 pm

    Peter Roth strikes me as a grade A tool

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Comics

Black Star: Pre-Order The Comic From Kristin Kreuk Today!

Kristin Kreuk’s comic book Black Star is available to pre-order from your local comic shop.

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July 29, 2026 will mark the release of the first issue of the new Titan Comics series Black Star which is written by Smallville alum and current Murder In A Small Town star Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) alongside collaborators Peter Mooney and Eric Putzer with art by Joe Bacardo. The five-issue series is described as “a Northern Gothic Noir tinged with horror and dark humor.”

In Black Star, amidst skirmishings between two warring factions in the early nineteenth-century fur trade, Dashiell Carlyle discovers he has magical abilities… and that he’s not alone. Thrust into a secret order with designs to use their magic to build a new and better world, Dashiell discovers that their utopia may come at a horrific cost.

Here at KryptonSite, we of course are very supportive of Kristin’s new endeavor and hope others will by pre-ordering the first issue of the series. While there may be copies on the shelf on the day of release, pre-ordering means that you shouldn’t miss out… and the key pre-order period is what really helps for sales, as retailers have until Monday, July 6 to get their orders in. To find your nearest comic shop, visit the Comic Shop Locator website, and to ask then to pre-order a physical copy for you, call your local comic shop or, if in the UK or Europe, you can contact Forbidden Planet. Black Star will also have a presence (and an exclusive cover) at the Comic-Con International in San Diego later this month… just head to Booth #5337 (the Titan Publishing booth) to get yours! [Maybe while there, tell Titan you want more Smallville companion guide books from Craig Byrne! – shameless Craig]

The other thing you can do to ensure you get all five issues of Black Star is to  set up a “pull-list” subscription with your local comic store, which tells the retailer to put aside a copy for you each time a new issue is released, on a rolling basis. Some retailers will also offer you the option of pulling just the first issue of any new related series, so you can try it before you commit. Either way, you won’t have to worry about it selling out before you get your chance!

Finally, you can pre-order a digital copy online… and maybe get a few cents to KryptonSite from an affiliate link as well. You can do that here.

Now for the really fun stuff… want to see some interior pages as well as several variant covers they are releasing. Artists for the covers include Martin Simmonds (The Department of Truth), Joe Bacardo (Black Star), Robert Hack (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), and Alison Sampson (Sleeping Beauties)! Enjoy:

COVER-A-COVER-E-FOIL-COVER-G-VIRGIN-Black_Star_1_Martin-Simmonds

COVER-A-COVER-E-FOIL-COVER-G-VIRGIN-Black_Star_1_Martin-Simmonds
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Smallville

Smallville Ended 15 Years Ago Today

The final episode of Smallville aired May 13, 2011 on The CW.

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Do you know where you were on May 13, 2011?

If you were a regular visitor to KryptonSite back in the day, you know very well where you were – anxiously anticipating that Friday night’s airing of the final two episodes of Smallville on The CW. Would Clark finally put on the suit? How will Lex come back? Will Clark and Lois get married? Will Chloe change her name to become L– oh, never mind that one. 

Regardless of your thoughts on that finale, May 13, 2011 was a moment, and for a lot of us who stuck with the show for ten years, we really thought it was the end. We didn’t know the talented Bryan Q. Miller would be writing his own “Season 11” continuation comic soon after. We certainly had no idea we’d see Tom Welling as Clark and Erica Durance as Lois, in character again in the 2019 “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover on The CW. The KryptonSite Forums were certainly hopping, if you have any curiosity to see what people were posting that night.

And of course, now fans have the opportunity to see their favorite actors at conventions, including Salute to Smallville which has a big 25th anniversary panel planned for Gold Admission pass holders. (Though if you’re not Gold, trust me… there’s greatness for everyone else too!) KryptonSite webmaster and Editor-in-Chief Craig Byrne (that’s me!) has been lucky enough to have been a host of the event these past two years, and now is part of the team at Creation, making sure this event would be awesome. Creation has just listed a sale through Friday 5/15 where you can type in SMALL15 at checkout to get 15% off… one percent for every year we have sadly not had Smallville. So, definitely check it out! Many members of the show’s cast will be in attendance!

We’ve still got a lot coming up on the site to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show’s premiere… but as for today, the 15th anniversary of the show’s ending… have a good time… and keep holding on to Smallville.

And 15 years? WE’RE OLD.

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Smallville

Smallville 25th Anniversary Convention: All Weekend Passes Now Available

The Salute to Smallville 25th Anniversary Convention in Nashville has made all weekend admission pass tiers available.

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We are as excited as everyone else around here for Creation Entertainment’s Salute to Smallville convention in November as it will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the show! KryptonSite’s Craig Byrne (that’s me!) is back to co-emcee the event with good friend and fellow enthusiast Derek Russell from The House of El. Guests for the show include Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Kristin Kreuk, Erica Durance, Laura Vandervoort, John Glover, Sam Jones III, Helen Slater, Eric Johnson, Erica Cerra, Adrianne Palicki, and Phil Morris, with hopefully more to be announced!

Before today, only the highest-tier (and most expensive) Gold admission passes had been available for the November 6-7 event which will be happening in Nashville, Tennessee… but now, Silver, Copper, and very affordable General Admission passes are now being offered, making it a great time to hop on and plan a trip for later this year!

Salute to Smallville will feature Q&A panels with cast, autograph and photo opportunities, meet and greets, and much more…. and it’s a great opportunity to meet other people who loved and enjoyed Smallville as much as you have! For many of us, we’ve been watching for a quarter of a century!

Check it out – let’s get this event sold out!

 

DISCLAIMER: When he’s not working on websites for himself, Craig Byrne works on graphics and websites for Creation Entertainment, and as mentioned before, he is also one of the hosts of this event!

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