Krypton, the Syfy prequel to Superman and Supergirl’s adventures on Earth has added two new cast members, according to Deadline. Blake Ritson (Da Vinci’s Demons) has been tapped as a series regular and villain. Paula Malcolmson (Ray Donovan) will be set as a guest star in what is being described as a pivotal role.
Malcomson’s character, Charys, is said to be the matriarch of the currently ostracized House of El. The role was recast after the initial pilot, and now Malcolmson will fill Charys’ shoes as she helps to guide her son, Seg, through the shark-infested waters of Kandor City.
Set two generations before the Doom of Krypton, the prequel will focus around Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe) and his quest to redeem the House of El from earlier scandal. Compounding his fight to restore the family honor is the fact that Krypton‘s world is not the troubled “utopia” seen in other iterations of Superman lore. This Krypton is rife with oppression.
This should be a different take from most live-action media versions we’ve seen of Krypton, though Warner Bros. Man of Steel gave us a deeper glimpse of the civil unrest Krypton was experiencing prior to its destruction. While many interpretations have shown us a highly-advanced, but flawed world of science and diplomacy, the comics have dealt with Krypton’s demons in more detail.
For instance, the caste system was alive and well, being referred to as guilds. Anyone not making the cut to the Science, Military, Religion, or Council/Arts guilds were relegated to the Labor guild, and to what was essentially a slave/servant caste. There are several stories where Superman discovers this and is none too pleased. Granted, this is not every iteration of Krypton in canon. Some interpretations have the society in a far more sympathetic light (Supergirl), while others have portrayed Krypton as an emotionless, cold society (John Byrne’s Man of Steel comic series). And then there are timelines where we find out part of Krypton survived and then they founded New Krypton and… well, it’s comics. There’s a lot of lore for the House of El and the world’s favorite superheroes.
From what we’ve learned from the series so far, it looks like Krypton will focus more on a flawed, oppressive world rife with revolt than the more utopian adaptations.
The show also stars Georgina Campbell, Elliot Cowan, Ann Ogbomo, Rasmus Hardiker, Wallis Day, Aaron Pierre and Ian McElhinney. Krypton is set to premiere on Syfy in 2018.
