‘Supergirl’ Adds ‘Smallville’ Alum Erica Durance in Season 3 Recast
The deluge of Super-stars making their way to Supergirl understandably slowed with Season 2’s Vancouver production move, but Smallville is finally getting in on the game – at a cost. Lois Lane herself, Erica Durance is coming to Supergirl Season 3, albeit as someone we’ve already met.
The CW confirms that Durance will recur in Season 3 as Alura, Kara’s Kryptonian mother, replacing star Laura Benanti from Season 1. The character was absent from Season 2 (as was Alura’s sister Astra, above, also played by Benanti), while executive producer Andrew Kreisberg said of the change:
Unfortunately Laura, who Greg [Berlanti] and I have worked with for years going back to Eli Stone, was unable to continue in the role due to work commitments in New York. But we are so blessed that Erica has come aboard to offer her own interpretation of Kara’s mother. We had tremendous success with a former Lois Lane last season with Teri Hatcher. We know Erica will continue the proud tradition of legacy actors joining our shows and creating new and exciting takes on classic DC characters.
Elsewhere of Supergirl Season 3, we know that Odette Annable will play “World-Killer” big-bad Reign, while Katie McGrath’s Lena Luthor has been elevated to series regular and Floriana Lima’s Maggie Sawyer has been downgraded to recurring. Calista Flockhart will not return in a regular capacity, despite Cat Grant being featured in the final two episodes of Season 2, nor will Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman. Jessica Queller and Robert Rovner have also been elevated to co-showrunners with co-creator Andrew Kreisberg.
Supergirl will swoop into Comic-Con 2017 later this month with new Season 3 details, so stay tuned.