A Superman prequel? Haven't we already had that with Smallville?

Indeed but it looks like TV network Syfy think that the story of Kal-El's ancestors is ripe for a TV adaptation. Before you get excited about the prospect of seeing Russell Crowe's Jor-El in action again, we should point out that the prequel series would go back even further. Instead focusing on the Man of Steel's grandfather. 

The series description released by the network goes like this:  "Years before the Superman legend we know, the House of El was shamed and ostracized. This series follows The Man Of Steel's grandfather as he brings hope and equality to Krypton, turning a planet in disarray into one worthy of giving birth to the greatest Super Hero ever known."

According to Empire, the pilot is based on David S. Goyer's Krypton script. When writing Man of Steel, Goyer initially had the first forty pages of the script set on Clark Kent's home planet. The Krypton scenes were arguably the best part of Man of Steel, so if they keep the same aesthetic for the TV series we could definitely get on board with it.