The CW Orders Pilots For ‘Gotham Knights’, ‘The Winchesters’, ‘Walker: Independence’

The CW is eyeing more superheroes, more Supernatural, and more cowboyS (the three “s”s), as they have officially put three pilots into production: Gotham Knights, The Winchesters, and Walker: Independence. In addition, the network has ordered six additional scripts for a gender-flipped Zorro, and will determine pick-up status at a later date.

Gotham Knights, a one-hour long drama, focuses on the “rebellious adopted son” of Batman teaming up with some of the children of the Dark Knight’s biggest enemies after Bruce Wayne is murdered. Why do they team up? They’re framed for his murder, of course. The show is written by Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux and Natalie Abrams, who serve as EP, EP, and Co-EP respectively. Danny Cannon, an old hand at DC Comics based stories, will direct the pilot, which is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Of note, despite the name, Gotham Knights is not a spin-off of Batwoman, and also not an adaptation of the upcoming video game from Warner Bros. Games. Instead, it’s based directly on the characters from DC Comics. Also of note, though there are plenty of Gotham Knights comic books, there’s no direct analogue to this story. Anyway, you guys like Gotham City. Enjoy it!

Next up is The Winchesters, also a one-hour long drama (they all are) that is a prequel to the network’s long-running Supernatural. Narrated by Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the show will tell the story of Dean and Sam’s parents, John and Mary, “and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world.” The show is written and EPed by Robbie Thompson, and EPed by Jensen Ackles and Danneel Ackles. It hails from Chaos Machine Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios. No word on whether this show will make Destiel canon.

Moving over to the other Winchester Brother, there’s the Walker spinoff, Walker: Independence. Also a one-hour drama, W:I is set in the late 1800s and follows Abby Walker, “an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West. On her quest for revenge, Abby crosses paths with Hoyt Rawlins, a lovable rogue in search of purpose. Abby and Hoyt’s journey takes them to Independence, Texas, where they encounter diverse, eclectic residents running from their own troubled pasts and chasing their dreams. Our newfound family will struggle with the changing world around them, while becoming agents of change themselves in a town where nothing is what it seems.” The show is written and EPed by Seamus Fahey, with EP/Story by Anna Fricke, as well as EPed by Jared Padalecki. This one comes from CBS Studios.

In addition, The CW has added six additional scripts to their order for Zorro, which is — you guessed it — a one-hour long drama from Robert Rodriguez and CBS Studios. It focuses on, “A young Latinx woman seeking vengeance for her father’s murder joins a secret society and adopts the outlaw persona of Zorro.” After the scripts are written, the network will determine next steps (i.e., pilot filming, a pickup, ordering six more additional scripts, etc).

These pilot orders join the rest of The CW’s slate in contention for the extremely loosely named 2022-2023 season. So far, the network has only announced unscripted renewals for Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Masters of Illusion, and World’s Funniest Animals. Stay tuned to find out which of your favorite shows get picked up, and which of your new favorite shows get picked up, as well.