Supernatural's new prequel show The Winchesters is still in its early stages, but here's everything we know so far. The show will reportedly focus on the lives of a young Mary and John Winchester, well before Sam and Dean were born and grew up to become hunters. Currently in development, the show will be executive produced by Supernatural star Jensen Ackles and his wife Danneel through their new production company. After the couple formed Chaos Machine Productions last fall, "we knew the first story we wanted to tell was the story of John and Mary Winchester, or rather the Supernatural origin story," Ackles said.
Supernatural aired for 15 seasons before ending its record-breaking run last fall. The show follows Dean and Sam Winchester as they traverse the country hunting things that go bump in the night. Season 1 starts with the brothers searching for their father, John Winchester, who eventually dies at the start of season 2. Their mother, Mary Winchester, is mostly absent from the series until season 12 when she's resurrected. The boys also get to know their parents' younger selves through time travel and a few trips to the past.
Not much is known about The Winchesters right now. The show is expected to explore the early days of John and Mary's relationship, before their first deaths. Ackles has also announced he will reprise his role as Dean Winchester, becoming the narrator of the series. As for the story, cast and release date, only time will tell.
Supernatural's Prequel Story Details
According to an official synopsis, The Winchesters is "the epic, untold love story of how John met Mary and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world." The series will likely explore Mary Winchester's past as a hunter — before meeting John, she was actively working to kill demons, ghouls, and other nasties. Mary swore to give up hunting when she and John got engaged, but as Dean has shown, it's not so easy to leave that life behind. The show may also look at John Winchester's connection to the Men of Letters. John never knew his father, Henry Winchester, was a member of the secret society, but his family history may make him a target in the supernatural world.
Supernatural's Prequel Cast
The only casting announcement for The Winchesters so far is Ackles as Dean Winchester. In Supernatural, young John Winchester was played by Matt Cohen, while Mary was portrayed by Amy Gumenick. While each had a strong onscreen presence, they didn't get much of a chance to show off their acting chops. So, despite being somewhat older now, Cohen and Gumenick would be welcome additions to the cast as younger versions of John and Mary. Some angels and demons are also likely to appear. Other Supernatural actors who could come back are Misha Collins as Castiel, Julie McNiven as Anna, Matt Ward as Uriel and maybe even Lex Medlin as the cupid who orchestrated the romance between John and Mary.
Supernatural's Prequel Release Date Info
The Winchesters has a script commitment, meaning the CW has agreed to pay for one or more scripts to be written. With Ackles' involvement, it's likely The Winchesters will go to pilot at the very least. Development of the show could take two years or more, although that period may be shortened because of the existing relationships between the creative team and the CW. Ackles is working with another Supernatural alum, Robbie Thompson, to write and executive produce The Winchesters.
Shooting a pilot is unlikely to start until next year at the earliest. Supernatural star Ackles was recently cast as Soldier Boy in The Boys season 3 and will be shooting that through September. It's more likely The Winchesters would start filming in summer or fall of 2022, making a likely release date sometime in spring 2023. If The Winchesters gets picked up as a series, season 1 could hit screens in fall of 2023. For now, though, conversation about The Winchesters is still just speculation.