'Smallville' star Tom Welling to return as Superman in 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'

Tom Welling is set to return to the role of Superman for the first time since Smallville came to an end in 2011.

The 42-year-old star will be one of three incarnations of Superman to appear in the upcoming Arrowverse crossover event, based on the Crisis on Infinite Earths comic book arc.

Tyler Hoechlin, who plays the character on Supergirl, and Superman Returns leading man Brandon Routh have already signed up to take part in the crossover.

Routh is already a part of the Arrowverse through his role as The Atom, appearing in multiple shows and as a regular character in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.

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Airing across December 2019 and January 2020, the ambitious crossover project will unite Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman.

It is the sixth annual crossover event featuring the stars of the Arrowverse shows and will feature Batman getting in on the act too.

The title comes from a widely beloved 1980s comic book arc that reset the DC continuity and established a shared DC Universe, rather than the previous multiverse.

Arrow co-creator Marc Guggenheim said he was “thrilled” to have got Welling on board with the event.

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He said: “For eight years, Arrow has stood on the shoulders of Smallville.

“Simply put, there would be no Arrow, and no Arrowverse, without it.

“So when we first started talking about Crisis on Infinite Earths, our first, second and third priorities were getting Tom to reprise his iconic role as Clark Kent.“

Welling was most recently seen on screen in the third season of Lucifer as immortal antagonist Cain.

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During his time on Smallville, he was joined by other Superman actors who made cameos, including original movie Superman Christopher Reeve and Dean Cain, who played the role in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

Crisis on Infinite Earths is due to start with Supergirl on 8 December.