While Superman fans are anxiously awaiting the mega-release of Justice League to see how the Man of Steel will factor into the DCEU's first big ensemble blockbuster, let's not forget TV viewers will get to dive into the history of his home planet for Syfy's Krypton. And the time-flipping series just cast the classic Superman villain Brainiac, with Da Vinci's Demons' Blake Ritson taking on the role of the brilliant android. As well, Krypton has cast Ray Donovan vet Paula Malcomson to play Superman's great-grandmother.
On Krypton, Cameron Cuffe stars as Seg-El, Superman's grandfather, as the renowned House of El becomes shamed and snubbed by others in that society. Seg will be fighting to bring back the respect that the family name deserves, but it won't be an easy fight, as Krypton is entering a most chaotic state at that point. It was previously reported that the show would, on top of showing viewers what happened all those years in the past, also feature some scenes in the present with well-known villains that are attempting to destroy Krypton before Superman was even born. And Brainiac will almost definitely be one of the modern-day baddies putting that dastardly plan into action.
A London native, Blake Ritson has been seen on Upstairs Downstairs and heard on the Dark Souls video games, and we can't see what they do to fit him into this villainous role. Brainiac is a longtime Superman nemesis (created in 1958) that doesn't sound like he'll be changing too much for Krypton. According to Deadline, he's being described as a "parasitic, hyper-advanced alien android of immense intelligence."
We'll likely see a more humanoid version of Brainiac, as opposed to the more chrome-headed version, since Krypton is already using a lot of its visual effects budget on the massive planet itself. This will be the second time Brainiac makes it to live-action, as he was played by James Marsters on Smallville back in the day. The highly dangerous villain has also appeared in tons of comics and animated series throughout the years, but though several attempts have been made to get him into a Superman live-action film over the years, it's never come to fruition.
Meanwhile, actress Paula Malcomson will take on the role of Charys, the House of El's masterful matriarch. Within the family's home base of Kandor City, Charys will help her son Seg as he tries to reverse the revolt and ill will plaguing the city. Malcomson is no stranger to playing a caring mother during dark times, as she was Katniss' mom in the Hunger Games film series. She was also on other intense shows such as Sons of Anarchy, Deadwood, ER, and more. She has left an indelible mark on Ray Donovan as well, so we can't wait to see her in a completely different kind of role in Krypton.
Unfortunately, there's still no locked-down release date for Krypton, which is set to make its debut on Syfy in 2018. There are more superhero series coming to TV before then, though, and you can find them in our fall TV premiere schedule.
