Supernatural‘s Jared Padalecki to Headline Walker, Texas Ranger Reboot
It appears Jared Padalecki‘s post-Supernatural TV hiatus will be brief: The actor is attached to star in and exec-produce a reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger.
Per our sister site Deadline, the project follows Cordell Walker (Padalecki), “a man finding his way back to his family while investigating crime in the state’s most elite unit. [The] broken widower and father of two returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years for a high profile case — only to discover that there’s even more work to be done at home.” Like in the original series, which ran for eight seasons on CBS in the ’90s and starred Chuck Norris, Walker will be paired with a new partner, who in the reimagining is one of the only women in Texas Rangers’ history.
Anna Fricke (Valor, Being Human) will pen the pilot and executive-produce alongside Texas native Padalecki and Dan Lin (Lethal Weapon). (Fun fact: Fricke is married to former Supernatural showrunner Jeremy Carver.) While the potential reboot does not yet have a network attached, Supernatural‘s longtime home, The CW, is considered a leading contender, with CBS also a possibility.
In March, Padalecki and his Supernatural co-stars Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins announced that the long-running CW drama would come to an end after its fifteenth season (premiering Thursday, Oct. 10).
Supernatural fans, what do you think of Padalecki’s possible follow-up series? Hit the comments with your thoughts!
Wow, thought the guys would take a break, but good for him! It honestly feels like another Friday on CBS show, I can’t imagine it on the CW.
Seems like something better fitted for Jensen but I’m in either way.
That’s what I’ve been thinking, Dean was always the one excited about this kind of thing in Supernatural, and he pulled off the look pretty good a few times too lol Walker should have a partner, and it should be Jensen, that would be great
Makes me believe more that Jensen was the one who wanted out from Supernatural and without Dean, there is no show. Hence last season. I’ve said this before that you can tell based on Jensen;s performance of Dean the past couple years. Dean always sounded tired, defeated. No longer witty, charismatic. Almost like Jensen was feeling obligated to play Dean.
I’ve watched the whole series very recently. Jensen and Jared are both stellar.
Long time fan as well, started watching very early in the series, they both still make me want to see every new episode, and I look forward to it everytime
I blame this more on the writing. The writers have written him to be that way. There has been episode addressing that.
This is definitely not a project that I would have seen coming, let alone with Padalecki attached to star! I kind of liked the goofy martial arts fun of the original Walker but this looks like a rather different version. But I will keep an open mind. Not sure what giving Walker two kids will add to the story, however.
Also not sure why having a female Texas Ranger is that big of a deal since Nia Peeples was one in the last couple of seasons.
Tricia from Killer Women show would make an excellent Walker. She’s a good actress and she has already played a Texas ranger.
Lauren Cohan
I disliked the original, but I always deeply disliked Chuck Norris (and this whacko politcal views). It sounds like they’ll be changing it up, so it might be OK.
It’ll either be really good or really bad. I’ll give it a chance if it gets picked up by a network.
Can’t anyone think of anything besides messing with hit shows of the past. Leave well enough alone. Maybe have an original thought. If you must redo Walker, at least have the new show centered around maybe Cordell’s son and the next generation instead of trying to negate the Cordell Walker viewers knew and loved and rewrite his past.
Why????
Amen.
Jensen needs to be his partner.
Agreed
If Jensen was his partner, they’d be remaking “Simon and Simon”, not “Walker, Texas Ranger”.
;-)
You gotta admire his commitment. He’s working almost 15 straight years on a full time TV series, and he’s willing to jump right into another one. That takes a strong work ethic and dedication.
I can see the show working. I’m personally not interested in it, but I can see there being an audience. It would probably work better on the CW than CBS. I think if CBS can squeeze out another season of Magnum PI they CW could then pick it up then pair Magnum and Walker, Texas Ranger together next season.
Well he does have a family to support and while he has a bar in Austin he is an actor! I wish him well
This actually sounds pretty good to me, I could totally believe in Padalecki as a Texas Ranger! I hope it gets picked up, I’m already starting to have withdrawal symptoms from Supernatural, and they haven’t even started the last season yet!
I’m kinda over the whole reboot thing but this could work!
Wow, so much for him taking it easy after his show ends.
Austin filming will be fantastic since he will still be close to his 3 kids.
I hope it does happen.
It may be what interested him in the show. He would be able to stay near home.
Only if Chuck Norris plays a villain and roundhouse kicks him. Better yet, he should roundhouse kick all the people involved in this and stop it.
+1
Would be cool for him to do a guest spot.
Sorry, there will only be one Walker, Texas Ranger, and that is Chuck Norris. Besides whe Walker ended the did a movie where the actress who played his wife was killed? in the court house just as he was walking out, and he never new, and they never resolved it. What’s up with that, lets finish that story line before trying to start a new show with some one new.
Question: is he gonna have that hat? Because that makes it must see tv tbh…
Maybe he will get rid of the beanie fetish. I do not like it when he wears the beanies. He looks better without them.
I’ve often wondered if he wears them to protect his hair. With all of the SPN jokes about ‘Sam’s amazing hair’, it wouldn’t surprise me if there were always some fans who would try to grab or touch his hair. I can see where that would get really annoying really fast, so covering it all up would most likely deter a lot of that, I’d think.
Yay Jared! Sounds like a winner! Congrats and I would def watch! #spnfamily
Great idea. I would definitely watch.
walker is 9 seasons not 8
Cannot wait. Big fan of Supernatural. This show will be great. Jared Padalecki is awesome. So talented.
I loved the original Walker Texas Ranger. The only thing that bugged me was the Walker Texas Ranger movie after the series ended. Alex was shot and they never said if she survived or not.
I used to love watching the original as a kid. I don’t remember much about it other than Chuck Norris though. As a fan of Jared Padalecki’s for like 20 years now I’ll check it out. Also, just typing that sentence made me feel super old. I did think he’d take a break after 15 years but with him being a producer and starring it seems like it might be a passion project for him. I would assume that it would be shot in or around Austin which I believe is where he lives. So being able to work close to home was probably a contributing factor.
Jared is a better actor than Norris and a better person than Norris, the homophobe.
Hard to imagine him as anyone but Sam Winchester.. saying that I will give it a try… Supernatural forever
I’m just curious, does JP know martial arts or are they omitting that part of the show? As I recall, a big draw of the show was the fight scenes and in particular Norris’s martial arts abilities. I’m not saying that it can’t work without that, but it is certainly the first aspect of the show that comes to mind for me at least. I guess I don’t understand why they couldn’t create a show with this premise that isn’t a reboot since it really doesn’t sound that much like the original. It seems they only attached the name “Walker” to generate interest and buzz. That’s just my opinion though. I’m not criticizing reboots. In fact, I would love to see a reboot/revival of Step by Step. That show was highly underrated.
IDK, but I think I vaguely recall an interview years ago where it was mentioned that he did do some martial arts. But, it doesn’t make a difference to me, he’s so tall he can whup most bad guys anyway! Besides, I’d watch if he was just reading a telephone book, it’s Jared!
It’ll bomb. Oh sure, some women will watch because he’s cute, but Walker isn’t something anyone remembers. I’ll give 2 seasons, at most.
Who doesn’t remember Walker? How old are you? Chuck Norris was a big deal in his day, and Walker, Texas Ranger is a beloved show.
Idk I feel like reboots work better with audiences that didn’t watch the original. The old audience tends be frustrated with changes to their favorite aspects of the old show and lash out (see: Charmed, One Day at a Time, etc.). On the flip side, it seems like revivals are more popular with shows that audiences remember well.
I will watch it I use to love Walker so I will definitely watch
How about JP can play Walker’s son (Cordell II) and comes back to take care of his aging father and learns martial arts from him. I would watch that.
dean should be his partner
YES!!!!!!!
YES YES YES !!!! LOVE ME SOME JARED!!!
Wow. That is a perfect fit. But it’ll be weird to see Jared portraying a Dad..
If it films in Texas I can see why Jared jumped at it. It is much closer to home for him than Vancouver was.
If they’ll film in Vancouver, it should be rename to “Walker, Vancouver Ranger”.
“Sergeant Preston of the Mounties” is due for a comeback as well.