David Goyer is no stranger to Superman’s doomed home planet. As the writer of 2013’s Man of Steel, he gave audiences a more detailed look at Krypton than had ever before been shown onscreen. So much effort went into designing Kryptonian culture and history for that film, Goyer wanted to explore it further. He’ll get the chance with Syfy’s Krypton television series, which Goyer is writing and executive producing. Still, don’t be fooled by the fact that you know the planet’s tragic fate. Krypton takes place 200 years before that fateful explosion, which means these are all new characters with plenty of life in them to explore. “Even in the comic books, no one has ever said what the fate of Superman’s grandfather was, nor is the fate of any of the characters that we’re introducing in the series known,” Goyer says. “I think that’s a real positive in terms of dramatic storytelling. It’s not like we know character X will grow up to be hero Y.” While those who majored in Kryptonian Studies might recognize the names of some of the key players, Krypton should work as a science fiction show independent of its distant superhero connections. “Of course we’re making this show for fans,” Goyer says, “but we’re hoping it’s something that will appeal to people even if they’ve never seen a Superman movie or picked up a comic [or] aren’t even necessarily science fiction fans.” It even sounds like Krypton will surprise fans with its ties to the wider DC Universe. “There are a lot of other characters from the Superman canon, some of which have been linked to Krypton before, some of which haven’t, that are also included,” Goyer says. “There are also some other DC Universe characters that aren’t specifically part of the Superman canon that will play a role.” Sadly, despite my best efforts, he wouldn’t confirm if this means we’ll see Thanagarians or members of the Green Lantern Corps. “We’re definitely doing some things that I think people won’t expect,” Goyer promises. “And we’re making some unexpected additions to this Superman world that I’m excited for audiences to see.” Read and download the full Den of Geek SDCC Special Edition magazine here!
