Supernatural prequel series in the works from Jensen Ackles

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Jared Padalecki, however, is not involved

Jensen Ackles in Supernatural
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

A Supernatural prequel series is in the works, and original cast member Jensen Ackles is on board, Deadline reports.

Supernatural, which aired on the CW from 2005 to 2020, centered around monster hunter brothers Dean (Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) Winchester. The prequel series, titled The Winchesters, will tell the story of their parents, John and Mary – how they met, and how they put their love on their line to save the world. Ackles will reprise his role as Dean to act as a narrator for the show, as well as executive producing with his wife Daneel Ackles (who was a guest star on the original 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?'" 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."

In the original series, Mary is killed by a demon when Sam is a baby. John becomes a monster hunter after investigating her death and eventually passes on his skills and knowledge to his sons. In Supernatural, the couple were played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Samantha Smith. The Winchesters will be written by original series executive producer Robbie Thompson. However, one Supernatural alum who won't be making an appearance is Padalecki.

"Dude. Happy for you. Wish I heard about this some way other than Twitter," Padalecki tweeted after Ackles announced the news. "I’m excited to watch, but bummed that Sam Winchester had no involvement whatsoever." In a follow-up tweet, he clarified, when fans assumed he was joking: "This is the first I’ve heard about it. I’m gutted."

Emily Garbutt
Emily Garbutt
Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.