Smallville gets Spiked

Sci Fi Wire is reporting that "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" alum James Marsters ("Spike") will be joining the cast of "Smallville" for a few episodes:

James Marsters, best known as the blond, British vampire Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, will be making a guest appearance in the upcoming season of Smallville, the WB network announced. At the Television Critics Press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., Smallville star Tom Welling announced that Marsters would be playing a character from the original DC comic-book series. "Joining us this season will be another famous character from Superman lore, Milton Fine, also known as Brainiac," Welling told critics. "Brainiac, the ultimate villain, will be played by someone you are very familiar with, James Marsters of Angel, but this time without the British accent and the blond hair, which I'm kind of sad about, but we'll see."

In an interview with SCI FI Wire, executive producer Al Gough said that he and the other writers had been wanting to introduce the character for a while, and always had Marsters in mind for the role. "We always thought he was fantastic in Buffy and then in Angel, and he just felt like he'd be a good fit for this character," he said. "He was always sort of the first guy we wanted, and we met with him and told him the arc for what we wanted for Milton Fine as Brainiac."

I dunno, but Marsters isn't the first person that comes to mind when I think of Brainiac. Hell, he isn't the 20th person that comes to mind. But it is good to see him getting some more roles after leaving the Buffyverse, since actors are prone to being typecast when they stick with one role for an extended period.

I can't say I've enjoyed much of "Smallville." While I could accept the fast-and-loose continuity game they've played if the stories were better, the quality just isn't there for me. And I can't get over the fact that Lois Lane is hanging her hat in Kansas. But like I said, I wouldn't be as much of a fanboy if the show was, well, good.