Actor Jensen Ackles had a bigger role in the season finale of “The Winchesters” than anyone might have expected.
The “Supernatural” alum, who returned for the prequel series, recently opened up on the major twist in the finale, which revealed that “The Winchesters” prequel actually takes place in an alternate timeline than the events in “Supernatural.”
Jensen Ackles Says ‘The Winchesters’ Twist ‘Furthers’ ‘Supernatural’ Lore
Jensen Ackles admitted that fans were nervous about “messing” with the “show’s lore” in the prequel series. Instead, the actor told Entertainment Weekly that “you’ve got the fact that Sam is still on Earth, and here’s Dean, literally in heaven trying to do things to protect the life his brother’s living. So it furthers the lore.”
“It would’ve been a fool’s errand to try and box ourselves in with what had been created on Supernatural,” he explained. “We would be boxed in by that. In order to get our two heroes together and make it make sense in that timeframe, it had to be messed with. And the only way to really mess with that was just to make it a completely separate, alternate thing.”
The “Supernatural” original series already established the existence of multiple universes through Chuck, played by Rob Benedict. “So we knew that there was stuff out there,” Ackles added. “And then also to tether it to the fact that, oh, if this was a fail-safe that Chuck created, how many other fail safes does he have?”
Jensen Ackles Says It Was A ‘Mixed Bag’ To Be Playing Dean Winchester Again
Fortunately, Dean Winchester wasn’t the only familiar face in the finale. Jim Beaver returned to reprise his role as Bobby and Alexander Calvert returned to reprise his role as Jack. Even with the familiar faces, Jensen Ackles said it was a “mixed bag” playing Dean again.
“It’s weird because we’re in a different city, filming with a different crew. I’m working with different actors. Having Jim there and having Calvert there, it was almost like we were brought in from another team to come and show these new recruits how to play baseball,” he joked.
“Like we weren’t on our home turf. But it was a position that we were all very comfortable with jumping into and, how could you not be with playing those characters as long as we all have? It was like Dean was on location.”
Right now, fans are curious as to whether or not “The Winchesters” will get another season, especially now that The CW is under new management. However, Ackles said, “I’m hoping” when asked about the possibility of the series’ renewal.
“We’re in such a weird time right now with the network kind of changing guard and not knowing quite what the new format’s gonna be and how that’s all gonna pan out,” he confessed.
Even if the show doesn’t come back for another season, Ackles said, “I know that everybody did everything they could to make the best show that they could. I know I’m really proud of it and everybody involved is really proud of it. Hopefully, we land on our feet in some capacity, but I don’t know what that’s gonna look like.”
Showrunner Robbie Thompson Admits Wants To See ‘Different Versions’ Of Sam And Dean
In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Robbie Thompson admitted that fans will “100 percent” see different versions of Sam and Dean if the show continues, as well as “different versions of characters that we’ve seen before, maybe actors in different parts.”
“We have a lot of different options. But look, I’ll tell you, I know how I would like this series to end and there’s a whole lot of stories that we can do within this corner of the Supernatural universe,” he explained. “And yeah, you could eventually see a version of Sam and Dean down the road, if these two kids survive whatever torture we put them through, of course.”
With the exploration of multiple universes, however, it seems that the potential for future “Supernatural” spin-offs and other series could be limitless.
“We really thought that if we did this the right way, you could really open up the Supernatural universe for a whole lot of stories,” Thomspon admitted. “There are so many more stories to tell and death has never, ever stopped those characters.”
