Superman fans can rejoice - there very well may be a ninth season of Smallville, and Tom Welling is posed to sign on for it. Mike Ausiello, of Entertainment Weekly has the scoop on whether or not Welling is going to be back as the pre-Superman Clark Kent.

Ausiello writes:

Yes, there's news, and it's good. Some would even call it, ahem, super. According to a well-placed Smallville insider, Welling is nearing a deal to return for a ninth season. I'm told they're just ironing out some minor deal points, such as should the Brinks Truck pull into the actor's driveway, or just unload on the street.

So, if all goes as well, we can expect to see at least one more season of the show, as it moves us ever closer to seeing Clark Kent don the mantle of Superman.

Smallville airs Thursday nights on the CW. New episodes, starting with LEGION begin on January 15, 2009. The drama about the early days of Clark Kent stars Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Allison Mack, Aaron Ashmore, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman and Sam Witwer.