For a decade, Tom Welling starred as a superhero on the CW, before it was trendy to star as a superhero on the CW. However, after his stint on Smallville ended when the show did in 2011, Welling slowed down and stuck with movies, only popping up in a few projects over the last several years, including Parkland and Draft Day. Now, it looks as if the actor wants to return to television in another starring role. He’s signed on for Section 13, a sort-of black ops-based drama project that would see him both star and executive produce. Here’s what we know.
Welling would be the lead in Section 13, although the project seems to be in the very early stages of development. If it moves forward, it will star Welling as a former CIA black ops member. When the story picks up, Welling’s character will have already left the CIA and become a private contractor. After tragedy strikes, he’ll join another organization dedicated to taking down big threats. So, it sounds a little bit like The Player, but without that nonsense gambling stuff.
Welling isn’t the only big name involved with Section 13. Deadline reports Bones scribe Carla Kettner has been signed on to write the script for the potential drama. Kettner is best known for writing a few memorable episodes of Bones back before the popular Fox drama lost its edge, including “The Hole in the Heart.” Both Welling and Kettner are also signed on to executive produce the project, which makes sense. Kettner has served as a producer on both Bones and Zoo and Welling actually served as an executive producer on Smallville and the short-lived HellCats.
Tom Welling has changed a little since Smallville finished its run four years ago. Now, the actor has a little more salt and pepper in his beard and can no longer pull off playing a young professional. This upcoming role may not be quite as super as his first big gig, but we’d be really happy to see the actor back on TV again.
It is worth noting that pilot season is always crowded. A lot of shows that are in development never make it to series, and CBS is notorious for fielding a lot of pitches and not having a lot of open spots in the schedule. Just this spring, Person of Interest ended up being left off of the schedule for now, as there were not enough open schedule slots. On the bonus side, Section 13 does have a procedural-type format going for it, and we all know CBS loves case-of-the-week types of stories.
It’ll still be a few months before CBS makes big decisions about what TV programs to sign on for next fall, but we’ll let you know if Section 13 ends up making the cut. For now, go ahead and check out what is set to premiere at midseason with our winter TV premiere schedule.
