Smallville star Tom Welling is going from Superman to Supernatural after landing a key role in The Winchesters. His involvement in the spinoff series was made official at this past weekend's New York Comic Con by executive producer Jensen Ackles. That prompted Welling to hit the stage, much to the delight of those in attendance.
"This is all Jensen's fault. I lost a bet," Welling joked before it was confirmed that he will play Samuel Campbell, Sam and Dean Winchester's maternal grandfather. The character, who is Mary Cambell's father, was previously played by Mitch Pileggi across eight episodes of Supernatural.
During the panel, Ackles turned to Mary actress Meg Donnelly and had fun pointing out, "Your father is Superman."
This marks a reunion of sorts for Ackles and Welling after they previously shared the screen in Smallville. The former appeared in the show's fourth season in the mid-2000s, playing Jason Teague, Lana Lang's boyfriend at the time. He left after just one season when he landed the role of Dean Winchester in Supernatural.
After fans were treated to an early screening of The Winchesters, a Q&A took place that saw one of them wonder if we might see some familiar faces in the Supernatural prequel. Might Mark Sheppard's Crowley and Misha Collin's Castiel show up, for example? "I guarantee you will see more familiar faces," Ackles teased, saying it's vital viewers support the show so it's around for the long haul.
Before Sam and Dean, there were their parents, John and Mary. Told from the perspective of narrator Dean Winchester (Ackles), The Winchesters is described as "the epic, untold love story" of how John Winchester (Drake Rodger) met Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly) and put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world.
The Winchesters premieres on The CW on October 11, while Welling will make his first appearance in the seventh episode.