The CW Developing Supernatural Prequel The Winchesters With Jensen Ackles

The CW is getting back in the monster-hunting business, developing a prequel for Supernatural with main series star Jensen Ackles. As Deadline reports, the broadcast network has given a script commitment to The Winchesters, which will look at Sam and Dean Winchester’s parents John and Mary. The series is executive produced by Ackles, who will also narrate the new show in his role as Dean.

Ackles is executive producing alongside his wife Danneel, who guest starred in the show as Sister Jo/Anael. The script commitment means that the pilot will be written, after which it will be decided whether to move forward with the pilot. If so, the pilot will then determine whether the network will order it to series.

The CW has long wanted a spinoff to Supernatural, which was its longest-running series and in fact the longest-running genre series in American broadcast history. The show concluded its 15 season run last fell, and during that time two proposed spinoffs were actively worked on. The first, Supernatural: Bloodlines, was a backdoor pilot in the ninth season that was poorly received and didn’t move forward. The second, Wayward Sisters, was also a backdoor pilot that aired in season 13 and was better received, but also did not move forward. The show also spawned an anime adaptation that covered the first two seasons of storyline, as well as a short-lived web series Ghostfacers.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Samantha Smith played the current-day versions of John and Mary, while Amy Gumenick and Matt Cohen played younger versions in some time-twisty episodes. At this point there is no word on if the roles will be recast.

Ackles told Deadline, “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?’ 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.”