If you thought you'd seen the last of Supernatural [1] after its November 2020 series finale, think again. On June 24, Deadline reported that The Winchesters [2], a prequel series centreed on John and Mary Winchester's love story, is currently in the works at The CW. The show comes from Jensen Ackles, who played Dean Winchester on Supernatural, and wife Danneel Ackles's production company, Chaos Machine Productions. Joining them is former Supernatural co-executive producer Robbie Thompson, who is set to write and co-executive produce the prequel series.
"After Supernatural wrapped its 15th season, we knew it wasn't over. Because like we say in the show, 'nothing ever really ends, does it?'" Jensen Ackles told Deadline. "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. 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." While Ackles is excited about the upcoming project, fans of the original show are currently divided. It probably doesn't help that Ackles's Supernatural costar Jared Padalecki [3] allegedly had no idea about the project. Ahead, we've broken down everything we know about The Winchesters, including the plot, the potential cast, and the Supernatural Twitter drama.
The Winchesters Plot
Oddly enough, The Winchesters sounds like a Supernatural version of How I Met Your Mother [5]. Narrated by Ackles, reprising his original series role as Dean Winchester, the prequel tells the story of "how John met Mary [6] and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world."
It'll be interesting to see where the series goes as Mary's death was originally the catalyst for John becoming a hunter. Perhaps the Men of Letters will have a bigger presence, as it's revealed on Supernatural that John's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all a part of the secret society.
The Winchesters Cast
Currently, the only confirmed cast member is Ackles as Dean Winchester. It's unclear if Dean will only serve as narrator on the show or make an actual appearance. Since the show is still in development, we can only speculate about who else will be joining the cast.
On Supernatural, John Winchester was portrayed as an adult by The Walking Dead [7]'s Jeffrey Dean Morgan, as a young adult by General Hospital's Matt Cohen, and as a child by Nels Guloien. Mary Winchester also made several appearances throughout Supernatural's run and was portrayed as an adult by Samantha Smith and as a young adult by Arrow's Amy Gumenick.
The Winchesters Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles Drama
On June 24, Ackles shared a link to Deadline's report [8] of the prequel series. Apparently, his friend and Supernatural costar Jared Padalecki was not aware that a prequel to their hit show was in the works. "Dude. Happy for you. [9] Wish I heard about this some way other than Twitter," Padalecki wrote in a retweet of the story. "I'm excited to watch, but bummed that Sam Winchester had no involvement whatsoever." When asked by a fan if it was all a joke, as the duo are known for their banter on Twitter, Padalecki confirmed that it was not. "No. It's not. [10] This is the first I've heard about it. I'm gutted," he tweeted in response. Ackles has yet to address Padalecki's comments.
While Padalecki was seemingly blindsided, Misha Collins viewed it as an opportunity for more Castiel. "Seems like this show would benefit [11] from a time-travelling angel-in-a-trenchcoat character. Just saying," the actor tweeted in reply to the Deadline article.
Even Supernatural creator Eric Kripke had something to say about the potential drama. "When @JensenAckles first told me this story, I loved it," Kripke wrote on Twitter. "He & @DanneelHarris & @rthompson1138 are the perfect people to make it. (The other perfect person is too busy Texas Rangering.) Thanks for carrying the torch, guys, go kick it in the ass. Proud of you. #SPN #SPNFamily" Fans were quick to point out that the alleged "othering" of Padalecki [12] by Kripke and Ackles didn't feel like something family would do to one another.