The Superman Homepage caught up with Josephine Campbell, Co-Producer for “My Adventures With Superman” to ask her about the upcoming HBO Max/Cartoon Network animated series.
Q: Clark and Lois are described as being in their 20s in “My Adventures With Superman,” how new are they to their jobs at the Daily Planet?
A: Clark, Lois and Jimmy are interns just starting at the Daily Planet – so they are incredibly new! We wanted to play with our characters’ origins, showing them at a stage of life most “Superman” media hasn’t fully explored. Plus, we love the idea of watching these three learn and grow to become the icons we all know.
Q: If you had to compare “My Adventures With Superman” to any previous version of the Superman story, which would you say it’s most like or draws most inspiration from?
A: Our North Star was the 1978 “Superman: The Movie,” especially the interplay between the incredible Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve. We loved their chemistry; we loved how smart and feisty Lois was, and loved the heart and altruism of Reeve’s Superman/Clark Kent. The movie was clever, fun, and modernized Superman in a way that felt organic to the time period, while also respectful of what came before. It truly is one of our favorite pieces of Superman media.
Outside of the classic ’78 movie, I and Co-EP’s Jake Wyatt and Brendan Clougher are all kids of the ’80s/’90s, so we’re also influenced by John Byrne’s “Man of Steel,” as well as the work of Jurgens, Bogdanove, and Simonson.
Q: What age group is “My Adventures With Superman” targeted at?
A: Much like the original 1978 film, we’re aiming for a wide co-viewing audience, where kids, teens, and adults can all sit down and watch together.
Q: What can you tell us about Jack Quaid’s interpretation of both Superman and Clark Kent?
A: Jack has been absolutely phenomenal to work with! He’s got great comedic timing as Clark, but he is also able to sell the kindness, strength, and dignity of Superman. It’s been a real privilege to work with him – and it’s also very funny to watch “The Boys” after a record. I really can’t look at Clark OR Hughie the same!
Q: Michael Emerson revealed that he’s voicing the role of Brainiac for the upcoming animated series, how much will we see of Brainiac? Will he play a large role in the series?
A: Michael is an incredible actor who we are excited to work with – I can’t say anything more outside of that!
Q: I believe a certain criminal “gang” will play an important role in the first season of “My Adventures With Superman” with a bit of a twist on the villains involved. Did you make a conscious decision to put your own spin on the villains who would show up on the series?
A: I can’t confirm what villains or characters people should expect to see. All I can say is that, overall, we were looking to modernize Superman while keeping true to the core of the characters, and we hope we’ve done that.
Q: With all the turmoil and upheaval at Warner Bros. Discovery in recent months, how concerned were you about “My Adventures With Superman” possibly being canceled?
A: We were very fortunate to learn early on that “Superman” would still be coming out on Cartoon Network and the app as planned. Mergers are always tumultuous, but we’re glad that we still get to bring our love for Superman to fans old and new.
Q: When will the series premiere on Cartoon Network?
A: No date has been announced as of yet, but stay tuned!
Q: What are you most excited for fans to see in “My Adventures With Superman”?
A: There’s a lot I’m excited for fans to see! I can’t wait for fans to see the relationship between Lois, Clark and Jimmy – these three are the heart of our show, and their friendship and adventures together drive the series and the character arcs for both season one and two.
I’m also especially excited for fans to see the romance between Lois and Clark unfold! Alice Lee and Jack Quaid have fantastic chemistry, and they bring so much humor and warmth to their characters. Lois and Clark/Superman are one of our culture’s most iconic and enduring love stories, so it was deeply important to us to give that part of the Superman mythos a lot of love and attention.
I’m excited for you guys to see the incredible action – we have a LOT of fun with Superman, his powers and his rogues gallery, and we went all out, 110% on every single fight in the show.
Lastly, I’m excited for the show to come out because I’m a huge Superman fan too! Working on Superman has been a dream come true, not just for me but for every single member of our crew. People came into work with their favorite Superman comics and movies to share with each other, screened the Fleischer Studios cartoons during lunch, and dug up the audio of the original Superman radio show from the ’40s to listen to as we wrote and drew. I and everyone on the show adore Superman in all his forms, and I can’t wait to share with you our version of the Big Blue Boy Scout.
The Superman Homepage would like to thank Josephine Campbell for taking time out of her busy schedule to participate in this interview.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, “My Adventures with Superman” introduces us to twenty-somethings Clark Kent, the bright and driven Lois Lane and their best friend Jimmy Olsen as they begin to discover who they are and everything they can accomplish together as an investigative reporting team at the Daily Planet. Promising a mix of action, comedy and romance, the new series is expected to premiere some time in 2022.
Described as a serialized coming-of-age story, “My Adventures with Superman” will follow Clark as he builds his secret Superman identity and embraces his role as the hero of Metropolis—and perhaps the world. Lois, now growing into a star investigative journalist, takes aspiring photographer Jimmy Olsen under her wing. All the while, Clark and Lois are falling in love, sharing adventures, taking down bad guys, stumbling over secrets and discovering what it means to be Superman and Lois Lane.
Actors Jack Quaid (“The Boys”) and Alice Lee (“Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist”) will lead the “My Adventures with Superman” voice cast as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation with Register (“Teen Titans Go!”) serving as executive producer. Jake Wyatt (“Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus”) and Brendan Clogher (“Voltron: Legendary Defender”) are on board as co-executive producers and Josie Campbell (“She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”) as co-producer.
This interview is Copyright © 2022 by Steve Younis. It is not to be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.
I truly understand that Josephine cannot say too much about the show. But I’m glad to know that she is enthusiastic about the new animated TV show. It’s also great to know that she herself is a Superman-fan! That’s fantastic! Honestly, I can’t wait for this show to arrive. I’ll enjoy it along with season 3 of “Superman and Lois.”