After fifteen seasons, Supernatural came to a close in 2020, but you can’t keep the Winchesters down. It was reported last summer that Jensen Ackles was developing a Supernatural prequel series that could be centered on Sam and Dean Winchester’s parents, John and Mary. The project has taken another step forward as The CW has picked up The Winchesters to pilot, along with several other projects.
In addition to the Supernatural prequel, The CW has also orders pilots for a Walker prequel series as well as Gotham Knights. The Winchesters will tell the “epic love story of how [John and Mary] met and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world.” The series will be told through the perspective of Dean Winchester, with Jensen Ackles serving as narrator. Robbie Thompson, a former Supernatural writer and co-executive producer, will write and executive produce the pilot. This will be the third attempt at a Supernatural spinoff series after the backdoor pilots for Bloodlines and Wayward Sisters weren’t ordered to series.
As for the Walker prequel, Walker: Independence will be set in the late 1800s and follow “Abby Walker, an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West. On her quest for revenge, Abby crosses paths with Hoyt Rawlins, a lovable rogue in search of purpose. Abby and Hoyt’s journey takes them to Independence, Texas, where they encounter diverse, eclectic residents running from their own troubled pasts and chasing their dreams. Our newfound family will struggle with the changing world around them, while becoming agents of change themselves in a town where nothing is what it seems.” Jared Padalekci will executive produce the pilot with Seamus Fahey writing based on a story by Anna Fricke and himself.
And that brings us to Gotham Knights, the DC series will take place in the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder as his “rebellious adopted son forges an unlikely alliance with the children of Batman’s enemies when they are all framed for killing the Caped Crusader. And as the city’s most wanted criminals, this renegade band of misfits must fight to clear their names. But in a Gotham with no Dark Knight to protect it, the city descends into the most dangerous it’s ever been. However, hope comes from the most unexpected of places as this team of mismatched fugitives will become its next generation of saviors known as the Gotham Knights.” The series comes from Natalie Abrams, Chad Fiveash and James Stoteraux, all alums of The CW’s Batwoman series, but will be unrelated to that series.