Variety reports on a cast shake-up at The CW’s Supergirl, with Laura Benanti departing her recurring guest role as Alura Zor-El, mother of Melissa Benoist’s heroic Kara. Benanti appeared in 10 episodes of the former CBS superhero show, popping up in flashbacks, holograms, and—because this is a comic book show—as the character’s evil twin.
Unfortunately, Benanti is no longer able to commit to the series, so the part has been passed on to a veteran of a different CW Superman show: former Smallville star Erica Durance. Durance played Lois Lane on several seasons of the network’s old superhero soap, serving as a sharp-tongued foil to Tom Welling’s Clark Kent. Now, she’ll slip into a more mentoring role for his young cousin, with EP Andrew Kreisberg noting that, “We are so blessed that Erica has come aboard to offer her own interpretation of Kara’s mother, adding, “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.”