A Supernatural prequel series called The Winchesters is in development at The CW. Supernatural, which follows Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester and their family business of “saving people and hunting things”—aired its final season last year. Premiering on The WB back in 2005, Supernatural’s pilot sees Mary Winchester (Samantha Smith) burned alive by a demon in front of her children and husband, John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Motivated by a desire to find the thing that killed her, ex-marine turned mechanic, John, raises his sons to be monster hunters and save the world...over and over again.
Throughout its 15 seasons, the show’s monster-of-the-week format and overarching narrative established deep and sometimes inconsistent mythology inspired by biblical and urban legend. Created by Eric Kripke (The Boys) with a five-year plan, Supernatural became the longest-running American live-action fantasy TV series of all time. Thanks to its unwavering fan base, Supernatural enjoyed strong support from its network; A handful of Supernatural spinoffs have been explored: the web series GhostFacers, Supernatural: The Animation, Supernatural: Bloodlines, and Wayward Sisters. Bloodlines and Wayward Sisters both had backdoor pilots in the flagship series but were never picked up by The CW most likely due to a lack of Winchesters.
According to Deadline, The CW is now developing a spinoff written/executive produced by Supernatural alum, Robbie Thompson. The prequel, entitled The Winchesters, will focus on Sam and Dean’s parents, John and Mary Winchester. It's described as the epic, untold love story of how the couple met and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world, and will be told from the perspective of narrator Dean Winchester. In addition to reprising his role, Ackles will also executive produce the series alongside his wife, recurring Supernatural guest star Danneel, through their company, Chaos Machine Productions—which they launched last Fall alongside Warner Bros. Television. Check out what he had to say about continuing the Winchesters’ story below:
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 said. “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.
Morgan’s John was a recurring character in Supernatural's first season, died in the season 2 finale, and returned in the season 14 episode, “Lebanon.” Similarly, Smith appeared in almost 40 episodes before Mary met her demise, again, in season 14. That said, in Supernatural’s earlier seasons, not much was known about Mary’s life before John or even how the two met. In the season 4 episode, “In the Beginning,” when Dean travels back in time, it is revealed that Mary Campbell (Amy Gumenick) was also raised as a hunter—something she hid from a young John Winchester (Matt Cohen) so they could live a normal life.
The events of “In the Beginning,” in particular, the demon deal Mary makes to resurrect John, is what causes her death in the pilot. Supernatural would go on to retcon John’s history; explaining his father to be a member of the Men of Letters who intended to induct John before disappearing (among other things). It’s unclear whether The Winchesters will use any Supernatural actors other than Ackles. Presumably, The Winchesters will cast a new John and Mary to meet for the first time and, apparently, not live a normal life. However, there’s no reason Morgan, Smith, Cohen, Gumenick or even Padalecki can't return for flash-forwards.
Source: Deadline