Things are definitely shaking up over at the CW. As reported by the Hollywood Reporter, Laura Benanti, who played Alura, the late Kryptonian mother to Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl for 2 seasons on the CW’s hit TV show Supergirl, will be replaced by Smallville alum Erica Durance going into the 3rd season of the show.
“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,” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg said in a statement. “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.”
Durance of course is not the only member of of the Superman methos to join the show. Laura Vandervoort (Smallville‘s Kara) played the villainous Indigo in season 1; Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) and Helen Slater (1984’s Supergirl) played Kara’s adoptive parents during seasons 1 & 2; and Teri Hatcher (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), as previously mentioned in Kreisberg’s statement, appeared as Queen Rhea of Daxam in Season 2.
Durance starred as Lois Lane for more than 140 episodes on Smallville, first joining in season four and being promoted to series regular in seasons five through 10.
Supergirl returns Monday, Oct. 9, at 8 p.m. on The CW.
