It was first announced back in June 2020 that a ‘Supernatural’ prequel was in the works, with Jensen Ackles along with his wife, Danneel, set to executive produce the series.
At the time, we were informed the series would be titled, ‘The Winchesters,’ and would focus on the relationship of Sam and Dean’s parents, John and Mary Winchester. It was described as the epic, untold love story of how the Winchester parents met and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love but the entire world.
Reports on the ‘Supernatural’ prequel would then go cold until news finally broke, at the beginning of February 2021, that a pilot had been ordered for the series.
Now, the ‘Supernatural’ prequel is making headlines again as Deadline has revealed that Drake Rodger and Meg Donnelly have been officially cast as John and Mary Winchester.
It has also been confirmed that Jensen Ackles will reprise his role as Dean Winchester, serving as the series narrator.
Deadline also revealed additional insight into the ‘Supernatural’ prequel, providing a more detailed description of each character’s role in the series.
Deadline reports that Donnelly will play nineteen-year-old Mary Campbell, who has “been fighting the forces of darkness since she was a child. After losing someone close to her, the hardened hunter considers quitting the family business — until her father’s disappearance and the arrival of newcomer John Winchester forces her to lead a new team.”
Long-time fans of the original ‘Supernatural’ series will remember that the Campbell family have been hunters for generations, with Mary’s father, Samuel, noting that their ancestors were “hacking the heads off vamps on the Mayflower.”
While Rodger will play John Winchester, who has “recently returned from Vietnam [only to find] a new mission back home, where traces of his father’s past lead him to a secret organization and a whole new war as a hunter.”
Fans will also remember that it was revealed that the Winchester family have been long-time members of the secret society, ‘The Men of Letters.’
This new information also reveals that the upcoming ‘Supernatural’ prequel will be a retcon of the original series as, in the original series, Mary gave up hunting after Azazel killed both her parents and John. She then made a deal with him to bring back John in exchange for Azazel having access to her future child. She would then go on to marry John and give birth to their two sons.
When Azazel finally does come to collect the young Sam Winchester, Mary sees him and attempts to stop him, which results in her death. This event causes John to take up hunting, having no previous knowledge that Mary was once a hunter.
The Winchesters’ lineage as ‘Men of Letters’ also isn’t revealed till much later in the series.
We’ll have to wait and see how this new ‘Supernatural’ prequel and significant change to the ‘Supernatural’ story plays out with fans of the series.
