SUPERNATURAL

Despite a studio shutdown, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles confirm they will return to film the final two episodes of Supernatural

Watch out, pandemic, the Winchester boys are raring to return to action…

WHEN THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 SHUT down television productions in the middle of their shooting schedules, many shows made the difficult decision to forego filming a season finale. For the demonbashing Winchester brothers of Supernatural, however, this was not an option. The series is in the midst of its fifteenth and final season – and an epic showdown had been planned for the concluding episode. Thankfully, the idea of ending the show early was never even a consideration for the cast and crew.

“We had 16 days of filming left on our schedule when we fell victim to Covid-19,” explains Jared Padalecki, who plays Sam Winchester. “It was a crazy time. We shoot Supernatural in Vancouver, and as soon as we heard rumblings about the Canadian border being closed we were sent home to the States. Over the last 15 years, we’d shot 325 episodes and we’d almost crossed the finish line, but all of a sudden we were told we were not going to be able to finish.”

Fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as Padalecki confirms the final episodes will definitely be filmed as soon as studios reopen. “The commitment is there,” the actor tells Red Alert via a video call from Texas. “We will go back and finish the season, but we’re trying to be responsible. We want to make sure that we take care of our crew and all their families – and when we’re ready to take these characters home, we’ll be back. It’s funny… Sam and Dean have gone through a lot together, but this is the first time they’ve been shut down on and off camera. However, we will rise from the dead again and finish this baby off.”

“We were so close to being done,” adds Jensen Ackles, who plays Dean Winchester. “We’d shot 18 of the 20 episodes of season 15, so we were in the final stretch. Obviously, this is an unfortunate situation that we’re in – but there is some positivity to come from the way that shooting was halted.

“At the end of every season, everybody is incredibly tired. It’s a long run of long nights and long days of filming, so this gives us time to get some rest and recharge the batteries. We get to be excited again about returning to knock out two very poignant and important episodes. To be honest, I think this forced break is only going to make the final two episodes even stronger.”

So what can audiences expect from the climax of 15 years of stories? Information on the exact storyline is scarce, although the title of the finale episode has been released: “Carry On”. “It’s going to be emotional,” explains Ackles. “I’ve read 327 episodes of Supernatural and there are very few scripts that have made me emotional – but these final two hit me hard. I got highly emotional reading the scripts and I can only imagine what’s going to happen when we actually start filming.”

“It was really sad to read the finale script,” admits Padalecki. “Not just because I’m made sad by the story, but also because I’m sad about the finality of what’s been a huge part of my life. I consider Sam Winchester a friend, so the idea that I’m saying goodbye to him is going to be tough – and that’s whether he’s alive or dead or anything in between. I’m trying to figure out a way to say this without sounding like I’m hinting towards something, but I couldn’t be happier about the finale. Ultimately, I feel like the finale does the characters of Sam and Dean justice. It does their journey justice. For me, the finale episode dots all the I’s and crosses all the T’s.”

“I honestly believe the shutdown has been a blessing in disguise,” says Ackles. “We can refine these two episodes and polish them – and when it’s time to go at it, we’ll be ready and raring to go. I only think it’s going to increase the value, increase the quality and increase the emotion. These two monster scripts will be given all the love and effort they deserve.”

Padalecki laughs when Red Alert remarks that the pandemic itself feels like a Supernatural storyline. “It totally could have been,” the actor chuckles. “I don’t know if I’m allowed to give this away or not, but we deal with a similar situation in the run-up to the series finale. In the story, the world is completely different, and it’s been interesting to notice the similarities. I’ve been reading the finale script several times a week, if not several times a day. I’m keeping sharp and waiting for that phone call – but it feels like life imitates art in many ways.” AT

Supernatural will return to The CW for its final seven episodes in the autumn (assuming the remaining two episodes are filmed later this summer). In the UK, they will be shown on E4 later in the year.

We get to be excited again about returning to do two very poignant and important episodes