A release date has been announced for the upcoming series Krypton, along with a set photo to tease this unusual entry into the Superman franchise.
The series is set to come out on March 21, 2018, and will air on SyFy. It will be run by David S. Goyer, who among other things has been a writer and producer for several Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, as well as several DC Extended Universe films. It is currently unclear if this series is supposed to be a part of the DCEU itself.
Set about 200 years before Superman begins his career on Earth, this series will, as its name suggests, be set on Krypton, and focus on Clark Kent’s biological grandfather, Seg-El. Apparently, during this period the House of El has been shamed due to some sort of crime committed by Seg-El’s own grandfather, Van-El, and the series will focus on his attempts to bring honor back to the family while fighting the planet’s staid power structure, particularly its religious caste. Also, he will apparently be in a forbidden relationship with a Zod.
In these new pictures, we see the family in what seems to be some sort of flashback, with Seg-El (who will be in his twenties during the bulk of the series) as a young boy. He is standing with his mother, Charys-El, who is played by Paula Malcomson (from the rather similar series Caprica); another man standing with them, actor unknown, is presumably Seg-El’s father. Meanwhile, Van-El (played by Game of Throne‘s Ian McElhinney) is standing in front of an intimidating man in black while masked guards surround the family; presumably, this is his sentencing for whatever crime he has committed.
Of some note is that, while all of the family members are wearing Superman’s “S” symbol (established in other stories as a family crest), Van-El also has a blue outfit and red cape reminiscent of his descendant’s superhero outfit.
Given how removed this series is from Superman stories, such small connections may prove vital to remind us that this isn’t just a random sci-fi drama. That said, newer plot synopses imply that Seg-El will discover Superman’s career through time travel, which will leave him with a difficult choice: prevent Krypton’s destruction, or allow his grandson to instead become the savior of a different world.