This set visit was held in late August 2011.

Driving into Plano, Illinois, you’d never guess that the United States’ third most populated city was only an hour from its borders. With a population just under 6000, Plano is the definition of Small Town, USA. It’s even the birthplace of the mechanical harvester that led innovation in farming technology and helped farmers increase their crop size. It’s fitting, then, that Warner Brothers would opt to use this locale as their shooting location for Smallville, Kansas in the upcoming Superman franchise reboot, Man of Steel

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Riding into Plano and looking out the window, it’s clear that the town’s residents are more than happy to accommodate Hollywood, whose presence has drawn in Superman enthusiasts from across the country and helped the flow of the town’s economy. The local businesses are taking advantage of it, plastering their storefronts with welcome messages for tourists boasting Kryptonian S-Shields.From gas stations to hardware stores, the businesses in Plano are selling Superman-themed t-shirts, sugar cookies, cupcakes, and so much more. Newspaper clippings adorn the interiors of some shops, proudly promoting their role in the next Superman film. Even the local fire department has made up shirts ($15 a pop for a charity) with “Smallville, U.S.A.” plastered on it. The picturesque town resembles that of the Silver Age-era Smallville, proudly promoting itself as the “Home of Superboy.”The first stop on the tour of Man of Steel’s Smallville with producers Deborah Snyder and Charles Roven is none other than the iconic Kent Farm. True to form, the built-from-scratch farm house stands at the end of a long dirt drive just off a main road. It stands next to a massive corn field, which Snyder confirms was planted by the crew themselves. Even though the Kent house was built by the crew, you’d never know it. It’s rickety and well-worn, a big red barn standing not far beyond it, with all indications that it had been there for a few generations. The weathering job done by the crew is fantastic, particularly seeing the set up close.Inside, the crew went as far to lace the interiors with dust and clutter – complete with bills from local establishments, utilities, and even notes for Martha Kent from friends and neighbors hanging on the fridge. One thing is certain: it looks like no one has lived in the house for a very long time. There’s one detail in particular that stands out amongst the clutter of the Kent home, as it’s impossible to miss.There’s a pickup truck with a Kansas license plate tossed through one side of the house and sticking out of the other. It’s quite obvious that the Kent Farm is a set piece for a big battle of some kind, winding up with a vehicle hanging out of it. Roven said of the set, “We’re thinking about possibly keeping it; hanging onto the [Smallville] house and covering it” for use in the sequel they are all hopeful for.As we’re led into the barn, Snyder explains that it was built rather deceptively; the actual ground floor is made up to be the basement – where Clark’s rocket is being kept – and the physical first story would look to be the ground floor on screen. Entering the barn is the highlight of the experience on the Kent Farm, as we walk into what seems to be Jonathan Kent’s work area of sorts. Like the house, there are layers of dust and a sad stillness to it all. It features bookshelves, a tool bench, some farm equipment – all the makings of a typical garage/storage area -- except, of course, for one glaring difference: the giant Kryptonian spaceship that rests in the middle of it all.Baby Kal-El’s rocket is unlike any version we’ve seen in previous live-action adaptations. It’s got an organic quality to it, with flowing lines that run into one another and a very rounded shape. On the front, these lines coalesce to become a rounded S-Shield. The color is grayish, but Snyder confirms that the ship will be aided with some special effects to enhance the look and the opening/closing technology of the front pod. The ship is massive, easily standing as tall as me (six feet or so) and at least double my height length-wise.As I drift back over to Jonathan’s work bench, I begin to notice more of the smaller details that the set designers have laced throughout the barn. Jonathan Kent has compiled quite the collection of books about the cosmos, aliens, and UFOs over the years, it seems. In addition, the wall has a collection of strange happenings around the world – particularly in Smallville – that all seem to be connected to his search for answers about his son.UFO sightings, abductions, pyramids, and more adorn the walls of the barn; think Chloe Sullivan’s Wall of Weird from Smallville and you’ve got the idea. One item stands out to me, though: a 1984 Farmer’s Almanac, piled atop various notes and maps of Kansas. This offers some clues of Superman’s age in the film, which would make him late 20s to early 30s, depending on his age when the Kents found him in ’84.

Head to Page 2 for a big battle in downtown Smallville!