Post by Forever Xena on Aug 22, 2007 9:26:55 GMT -6
Comic-Con '07: Chasing demons with Supernatural
By Darcy Lewis - TV.com
August 6, 2007 at 02:08:00 PM | more stories by this author
The cast and crew from Supernatural discuss season three and the new female characters.
Sitting in Room 6CDEF at the San Diego Comic Convention amongst thousands of avid fans, it's hard to imagine that CW's smart, gripping, demon-hunter extravaganza Supernatural was close to cancellation this past May. The line of fans who had to be turned away may have been even longer had Warner Bros. not made the decision to schedule the autograph session for Supernatural directly after the panel, leaving fans to choose between listening to their favorite show runners discuss the ins and outs of the sci-fi drama, or lining up early to contend with the huge crowds in the exhibition hall and wait for an autograph. Those who chose the latter missed out on a great panel.
The Winchester boys battle demons on Supernatural...when they don't oversleep.
TV Guide's Craig Tomashoff moderated the discussion, and began by introducing two clips. The first was an in-depth behind-the-scenes featurette called "The Episode From Hell," detailing the making of the season two finale and all of the trials and complications the crew went through to bring the action-packed episode to the screen. There were some interesting deleted finale scenes, including a heart-to-heart between the Winchester brothers and their dear old Dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). The second clip was an excellent montage covering the first two seasons, set to Robert Rodriguez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico score. The reel closed with Sam's pilot-ending proclamation "we've got work to do." Supernatural fans should hope both clips will be included among the season-two DVD extras, as they were excellent from start to finish. The response of the packed house was riotous.
Tomashoff then introduced the panel members--writer and producer Sera Gamble, series creator Eric Kripke, actor Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester), and writer Ben Edlund--who were all enthusiastic and excited to be at Comic-Con. The absence of actor Jared Padalecki (who plays Sam Winchester) was immediately addressed, and his excuse elicited some chuckles from the disappointed crowd. Padalecki missed his flight because he overslept after a shoot for the show ran long.
The setup for the third season, according to show creator Eric Kripke, is that the gates of Hell have been opened. Seasons one and two were merely setting up the chessboard, and now it's time for the bigger battle. He said that he was going for a very epic Lord of the Rings or Matrix feel to the show, with complicated characters that switch sides and make horrible mistakes. As far as the show's overall story, Kripke revealed that season three was where he always wanted to reach because there is so much to develop and work with now that the main plot has been established.
Katie Cassidy will play Ruby.
He then quickly launched into the explanation of the introduction of two new female characters, given that the announcement earlier this summer caused outrage amongst the fans (mainly the female ones). These two female characters, Bela and Ruby (a cat burglar played by Lauren Cohan and a deranged hunter played by Katie Cassidy, respectively), were definitely not brought on as love interests for the two boys but rather as foils, or as Kripke said, "they're there to piss them off." In no way did Kripke want fans to think that the show would devolve into the two boys and the two girls riding around in the Impala and "eating Scooby snacks." Tomashoff asked Jensen Ackles how he felt about the additions to the cast and he responded "Thank God." He expounded to say that it takes the pressure off him and Jared, plus it gives the guys the chance to explore new relationships, and in turn creates new facets for old relationships.
After some more discussion about the nature of the show and its celebration of Americana and road trips, the floor was opened to questions from the fans. The celebrated classic-rock tunes used in the show were a hot topic of the night, with one fan begging for a show soundtrack. Kripke revealed that they had tried, but Warner Bros. said no, and that perhaps he could get a playlist up on iTunes. Another question centered on the late-season reveal that Mary Winchester may have been in cahoots with the Yellow-Eyed Demon. Kripke responded that the issue will be addressed, though it may take a while because Sam is the only one left alive that had anything to do with it, because both the YED and Mary are now dead.
The panel closed with a thank-you and an impassioned plea from Eric Kripke asking fans to "go forth and spread the gospel of Supernatural" for the very reason that the show was almost axed at the end of last season. The fans responded by cheering ecstatically, and then frantically speeding out of the room to try and get a spot in the autograph line. Good luck with that.
Other highlights from the panel:
-- Sera Gamble told Jensen Ackles that he was acting on "the most nihilistic show on TV."
-- There are no immediate plans to have flashbacks to the Winchesters as young boys, though the writers all love the idea. The availability of a very busy Jeffrey Dean Morgan is always a factor in telling the past stories.
-- We'll be seeing a lot more of Bobby (played excellently by Jim Beaver) and get to hear the story of how he became a hunter. We also haven't seen the last of Gordon or Agent Hendrickson.
-- No more psychic children. Kripke said he was bored with all the psychic kids and decided to kill them all off, though many of them amused him.
-- During a request for each of the panelists' favorite episodes, the pilot was the most frequently referenced, with "Night Shifter" and "All Hell Breaks Loose Parts 1 and 2" coming in close behind.
By Darcy Lewis - TV.com
August 6, 2007 at 02:08:00 PM | more stories by this author
The cast and crew from Supernatural discuss season three and the new female characters.
Sitting in Room 6CDEF at the San Diego Comic Convention amongst thousands of avid fans, it's hard to imagine that CW's smart, gripping, demon-hunter extravaganza Supernatural was close to cancellation this past May. The line of fans who had to be turned away may have been even longer had Warner Bros. not made the decision to schedule the autograph session for Supernatural directly after the panel, leaving fans to choose between listening to their favorite show runners discuss the ins and outs of the sci-fi drama, or lining up early to contend with the huge crowds in the exhibition hall and wait for an autograph. Those who chose the latter missed out on a great panel.
The Winchester boys battle demons on Supernatural...when they don't oversleep.
TV Guide's Craig Tomashoff moderated the discussion, and began by introducing two clips. The first was an in-depth behind-the-scenes featurette called "The Episode From Hell," detailing the making of the season two finale and all of the trials and complications the crew went through to bring the action-packed episode to the screen. There were some interesting deleted finale scenes, including a heart-to-heart between the Winchester brothers and their dear old Dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). The second clip was an excellent montage covering the first two seasons, set to Robert Rodriguez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico score. The reel closed with Sam's pilot-ending proclamation "we've got work to do." Supernatural fans should hope both clips will be included among the season-two DVD extras, as they were excellent from start to finish. The response of the packed house was riotous.
Tomashoff then introduced the panel members--writer and producer Sera Gamble, series creator Eric Kripke, actor Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester), and writer Ben Edlund--who were all enthusiastic and excited to be at Comic-Con. The absence of actor Jared Padalecki (who plays Sam Winchester) was immediately addressed, and his excuse elicited some chuckles from the disappointed crowd. Padalecki missed his flight because he overslept after a shoot for the show ran long.
The setup for the third season, according to show creator Eric Kripke, is that the gates of Hell have been opened. Seasons one and two were merely setting up the chessboard, and now it's time for the bigger battle. He said that he was going for a very epic Lord of the Rings or Matrix feel to the show, with complicated characters that switch sides and make horrible mistakes. As far as the show's overall story, Kripke revealed that season three was where he always wanted to reach because there is so much to develop and work with now that the main plot has been established.
Katie Cassidy will play Ruby.
He then quickly launched into the explanation of the introduction of two new female characters, given that the announcement earlier this summer caused outrage amongst the fans (mainly the female ones). These two female characters, Bela and Ruby (a cat burglar played by Lauren Cohan and a deranged hunter played by Katie Cassidy, respectively), were definitely not brought on as love interests for the two boys but rather as foils, or as Kripke said, "they're there to piss them off." In no way did Kripke want fans to think that the show would devolve into the two boys and the two girls riding around in the Impala and "eating Scooby snacks." Tomashoff asked Jensen Ackles how he felt about the additions to the cast and he responded "Thank God." He expounded to say that it takes the pressure off him and Jared, plus it gives the guys the chance to explore new relationships, and in turn creates new facets for old relationships.
After some more discussion about the nature of the show and its celebration of Americana and road trips, the floor was opened to questions from the fans. The celebrated classic-rock tunes used in the show were a hot topic of the night, with one fan begging for a show soundtrack. Kripke revealed that they had tried, but Warner Bros. said no, and that perhaps he could get a playlist up on iTunes. Another question centered on the late-season reveal that Mary Winchester may have been in cahoots with the Yellow-Eyed Demon. Kripke responded that the issue will be addressed, though it may take a while because Sam is the only one left alive that had anything to do with it, because both the YED and Mary are now dead.
The panel closed with a thank-you and an impassioned plea from Eric Kripke asking fans to "go forth and spread the gospel of Supernatural" for the very reason that the show was almost axed at the end of last season. The fans responded by cheering ecstatically, and then frantically speeding out of the room to try and get a spot in the autograph line. Good luck with that.
Other highlights from the panel:
-- Sera Gamble told Jensen Ackles that he was acting on "the most nihilistic show on TV."
-- There are no immediate plans to have flashbacks to the Winchesters as young boys, though the writers all love the idea. The availability of a very busy Jeffrey Dean Morgan is always a factor in telling the past stories.
-- We'll be seeing a lot more of Bobby (played excellently by Jim Beaver) and get to hear the story of how he became a hunter. We also haven't seen the last of Gordon or Agent Hendrickson.
-- No more psychic children. Kripke said he was bored with all the psychic kids and decided to kill them all off, though many of them amused him.
-- During a request for each of the panelists' favorite episodes, the pilot was the most frequently referenced, with "Night Shifter" and "All Hell Breaks Loose Parts 1 and 2" coming in close behind.