Some good news for fans of Supernatural… but bad news for fans of Supernatural who are invested in the friendship between stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki: The Supernatural spin-off that Ackles and his wife were developing last year has been given a pilot order by The CW, meaning it’s one step closer to becoming a real TV show. This is also the same Supernatural spin-off, though, that Jared Padalecki apparently knew nothing about until he saw a post about it on Twitter, which means that—as it moves forward—it might continue to sour their relationship.
This all comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which says the show, titled The Winchesters, is about John Winchester, the father of Supernatural heroes Sam and Dead, and the “epic, untold love story” between him and the duo’s mother. Ackles, as Dean, will narrate the project if it gets picked up.
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But it’s not all bad news for Padalecki, as The CW has also ordered a pilot for Walker: Independence, a spin-off of the former Supernatural star’s new show that takes place in the 19th century and centers on an ancestor of Walker the Texas Ranger named Abby Walker. When her husband is murdered, she moves to Olde Timey Texas on a mission of revenge. Padalecki probably won’t be seen in this one, but he is executive producing.
Unrelated to either of them, and also, as bizarre as it is, unrelated to anything else on The CW or the video game that shares its name, we have Gotham Knights. It comes from Batwoman writers Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux, and Natalie Abrams, but it’s part of its own distinct continuity separate from the Arrowverse. THR says it takes place after Bruce Wayne has been murdered, with his “rebellious adopted son” (Damien Wayne, we assume) teaming up with “the children of Batman’s enemies” after they all get framed for the kill.
You’ve heard of Baby Yoda, but how about Baby Joker? Baby Clayface? Baby Penguin? (Aww, a baby penguin!) Anyway, it’s a premise that’s not totally out of line with what you’d expect from a Batman story, but it is strange that it’s not part of the Arrowverse canon and shares the name with a video game that Warner Bros. has been teasing for several years. We’ll see what happens with all of these pilots as The CW settles in with its 2022-2023 schedule.
