Posted in: CW, Preview, streaming, Supernatural, TV | Tagged: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, preview, Supernatural

Supernatural Return? More a Matter of When Than If: Jared Padalecki

Supernatural star Jared Padalecki is all-in on returning to the franchise with Jensen Ackles - but there are two hurdles to be cleared first.

If you've been following our coverage of Jensen Ackles & Jared Padalecki-starring Supernatural over the past few months, then you know that Ackles & Padalecki haven't exactly kept it a secret that they're more than game for a return – as long as it's in a way that does right by the franchise and its fans. Now, Padalecki is offering some additional insights into the possibility and the two key factors impacting their return. "It's not that I haven't seriously considered doing it; my single answer is yes. It's timing. It's availability," Padalecki shared during an interview with Collider in support of the return of CW's Walker for a fourth season.

"Jensen [Ackles] and I feel so strongly about our show that we had for 15 years together that we don't wanna just do it, just to do it. We don't wanna go, 'Hey, I have two weeks off in June. Let's go ahead and shoot 10 pages a day – just so we can have some more content.' If and when 'Supernatural' comes back, it's going to be a labor of love, and we're gonna put every hour in to make sure that it's as true to the canon and to the fandom and to the story and to the characters as possible," Padalecki added. "So, my short answer is it's not a consideration; the answer is yes. I just don't know when I'm available. I don't know when he's available. But again, my answer is yes."

As for what form that return would take – series/limited series, film, etc. – Padalecki doesn't have a preference. For him, it's all about the story. "Honest to God, I don't think about the medium in which it would air. I think about the story that I care about. If Jensen and I talk about where we would like to see Sam and Dean appear on screens again, and we think, 'Cool, we like this, and we like this arc, and we like this conclusion,' then let's do it. If they make it into a movie, great. If they make it into a limited series, great. If they make it into a flip book that's available on Amazon, great," Padalecki explained. "But at this point in time, I feel so protective of 'Supernatural' that if the story's fine, then I don't care how it gets into the world."

Supernatural: Jared Padalecki's Previous Thoughts on Returning

"You know, Jensen [Ackles] and I asked for 13-episode seasons of 'Supernatural' many, many, many times. As a matter of fact, I feel like if we had done 13-episode seasons of 'Supernatural,' we'd probably still be doing 'Supernatural' right now. Because it's hard to do a long network season while also trying to be a husband and a father, and a friend," Padalecki shared during an interview with TV Insider. "I think Jim Beaver, at one of our Comic-Con panels, said about 22 or 23-episode seasons, 'You know, even if it's the best batter on the planet, if Ted Williams goes to bat 23 times, he's gonna strike out a few times.' And so I think a shortened season would just be a really strong, action-packed, story-packed season where we don't have to do an episode like 'Bugs' in Season 1 of 'Supernatural' [Laughs]," he added.

Back in  May 2022, Padalecki spoke with Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) during a visit to Rosenbaum's Inside of You podcast, where he discussed the future of Supernatural and how things were between him and Ackles after their major miscommunication over The Winchesters. In the clip above, Padalecki makes it clear that "the book is not closed" on the future of Supernatural– and that was aside from the prequel series. In fact, he puts it out there that if a "new book" were to happen, he would be "excited" to help bring it to life. From there, Rosenbaum asks him how things are between the SPN stars & friends after last year's announcement of the spinoff series brought some tension to social media light. Admitting that it was more "laugh/cry" when it came to how they cleared the air, Padalecki sees the incident as a "hardship" that actually strengthened their overall bond. "No one believes in Jensen [Ackles] more than I do," Padalecki says near the end of the clip- which you can check out above.

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