Saving people, hunting things. The family business.
After a fifteen-season run, fans mourned the end of hit horror series Supernatural last November. Starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, the show followed Sam and Dean Winchester as they crossed across the US fighting all things evil. Given the show’s huge fanbase, additions to the franchise always looked possible. Now, The CW has officially ordered a prequel series pilot based on two huge characters.
Titled The Winchesters, the series will follow the love story of John and Mary Winchester, the parents of Sam and Dean. The prequel is expected to cover how the pair met and explore their early demon-hunting adventures. Supernatural has previously navigated certain parts of their story but the new series will give us a more in-depth look.
Jensen Ackles will reprise his role as Dean Winchester and serve as narrator for the series. Ackles will also executive produce the series alongside wife Danneel Ackles through their production company Chaos Machine Productions.
“When Danneel and I formed Chaos Machine Productions, we knew the first story we wanted to tell was the story of John and Mary Winchester, or rather the Supernatural origin story,” Jensen Ackles stated in an interview with Deadline last June. “I always felt like my character, Dean, would have wanted to know more about his parents’ relationship and how it came to be. So I love the thought of having him take us on this journey.”
At the time of the announcement, no other previous cast members are expected to return. This includes Jared Padalecki who was famously unaware of Ackles intentions to continue the franchise. The star took to Twitter last year to express his upset for not been clued in on the idea. Although it appeared the situation would cause issues between the pair, they quickly made amends and publicly supported one another.
In the original series, Mary and John are played by Samantha Smith and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Matt Cohen and Amy Gumenick also played the couple in flashback episodes. Given the pairs early demise and the timeline for The Winchesters, fans can expect a run of events leading to the births of Sam and Dean.
This is the third time The CW has attempted a Supernatural spin-off. Supernatural: Bloodlines and Wayward Sisters were ordered as backdoor pilots in the original Supernatural run, but neither spin-off materialized.
Although a pilot order doesn’t guarantee a full series run, the success of Supernatural and its passionate fanbase gives The Winchesters a good chance of making the cut.
Are you excited to see more from the world of Supernatural? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
