JamesG
03-14-2011, 02:10 PM
PaleyFest 2011: The "Supernatural" Cast Talk the Mother of All, Heaven vs. Heaven and a Potential Season 7
by Laura Prudom
posted Mar 14th 2011
Check out some of the highlights from the panel below:
Angel Time
Many fans have been missing their Castiel fix of late, but as Collins reassured us on the press line, we're about to see a whole lot more of the embattled angel, especially in the Edlund written-and-directed episode 20, 'The Man Who Would Be King', which will be told from Castiel's POV.
We'll also be introduced to another angel: Castiel's "trusted lieutenant" Rachel, and delve deeper into the civil war in heaven.
It sounds as though Castiel is getting in way over his head in his fight against Raphael, and Sam and Dean will find themselves caught in the middle of the fracas. Collins shared that we'll get to witness a little more of Castiel's inner struggle over the burdens he's had to shoulder ...
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, indeed -- especially if the rumors prove true regarding another fan favorite character who might be making a return in the episode. King of Heaven vs. King of Hell, perhaps?
Puppet Master
For those of you who have been following writer-producer Ben Edlund's career, you may recall that "Supernatural's" resident evil genius has tried his hand at directing once before, on the surreal, puppet-centric 'Angel' episode 'Smile Time'.
Edlund promised that there will be no puppets in his "Supernatural" directing debut, but he did tease that the aforementioned 'King' will be "very emotional" and "bring to fruition some serious friendships" leading into the finale.
He also quipped that we'll be seeing some flashbacks to Castiel's childhood, but we'd take that joke with a grain of salt.
The cast were very complimentary in regards to Edlund's directing style, too.
Collins pointed out that unlike most directors, who periodically appear and disappear on set in a similar way to guest stars, as both a writer and a producer, Edlund actually knows the overall story arc of the season and the characters, which allows him to give advice on an actor's performance in a way that others can't.
Padalecki agreed, recalling that, unlike some directors who just tell him where to stand, Edlund actually walked him through the scene, with directions like "you can pause here and think about how Sam's feeling ... " which Padalecki observed was an unexpected, and welcome, change.
Multitalented Multitasker
We all know that Jensen Ackles is skilled in front of the camera, but after his directorial debut earlier this season, his prowess behind the lens is now well-documented too.
During the panel, Ackles revealed that he'd be eager to hop into the director's chair again should he have the opportunity next season, but admitted on the press line that he was grateful that his first outing, 'Weekend at Bobby's,' was light on his character.
"Out of the eight days we filmed, five of them I was just directing, which was great because the times that I did have to act in the scene and direct at the same time were a bit difficult, because I was in a completely different mindset ...
I didn't realize how different a mindset it was until I was in it. I know now, so given the opportunity again I'll adjust accordingly, but I think the producers may have given me a little reprieve on that just so I could focus," Ackles told us.
"We haven't gotten the official word for season seven yet, but I think that once we do, we'll probably sit down and talk about it. They mentioned that they were very happy and that they would be open to giving me another one, so I'll keep my fingers crossed."
All That Glitters
One of the most popular questions amongst fans pertains to the special amulet that Sam gave Dean for Christmas when they were kids. It was last seen being tossed into a trash can by Dean, but the fans aren't so eager to let go, and Ryan put the question to creator Eric Kripke during the panel.
"Well, contract negotiations with the amulet aren't going so well ... " he quipped. "It's kind of a diva -- it's currently doing a guest spot on 'One Tree Hill'."
In all seriousness, though, Kripke confirmed that there were currently no plans for the amulet to return. Boo!
"I'm Batman."
As Ackles joked on the press line, both he and Collins have long-since begun regret their decision to give their characters the low, graveled voices we've come to know and love -- Collins was only too eager to expound on this during the panel.
"I may be running into medical problems," he joked, musing that someday he'd love to see Castiel carting around a tank of helium so that he could raise the angel's voice back to his normal tone.
Missouri or South Dakota?
During the fan portion of the Q&A, an interesting question arose regarding the fate of Missouri Moseley (Loretta Devine), a character who only appeared in one episode of season one ('Home') but left a lasting impression on fans.
Kripke confirmed that they would certainly be open to seeing the character again someday, Devine's schedule willing.
The creator even confessed that he had originally planned to bring the character back for the season one finale to help Sam and Dean deal with the demon Meg, but when a scheduling conflict arose, he had to rewrite the script, and thus created the character of Bobby as an illustration of what one of John Winchester's grizzled old male hunting buddies might look like.
Jim Beaver let out an audible sigh of relief that Devine couldn't participate in the episode -- if she had, perhaps we'd never have met Bobby Singer at all.
Another interesting tidbit:
The Bobby Singer character was originally supposed to be named Bobby Manners, after both Bob Singer and Kim Manners, but the producers found a real person named Bobby Manners living in South Dakota, so they were legally obligated to change the character's name.
Soul Man
While both the fans and the stars are relieved to have the brotherly dynamic back between Sam and Dean, Padalecki did admit that he misses playing soulless Sam, purely because it was a great challenge, and because he enjoys exploring those darker moments.
Gamble mentioned that it was executive producer Bob Singer who pitched the idea of bringing Sam back sans soul, and Ackles took the opportunity to reiterate how difficult it was to play Dean without that comfortable rapport between the brothers to fall back on.
We may not have seen the last of soulless Sam yet, though -- the wall that Death put up to protect Sam from his memories is flimsy at best, and we'd be surprised if we didn't see it falter altogether before the season is out.
Supernatural: The Movie?
When it was announced that this season's scheduling would facilitate episodes 21 and 22 airing back-to-back on May 20, Kripke explained that he originally intended to structure the final two stories more like a movie, as one cohesive whole.
"But there are so many mythology balls up in the air," he professed during the panel, "in the end, in order to tie up all the loose threads, it's very episodic."
Because of this, both episodes will stand alone, with certain aspects of the mythology tied up in the first hour, and another group tied up in the second hour, all leading up to ... a cliffhanger ending!
When Ryan attempted to find out if there had been any storyline twists the cast members hadn't seen coming over the course of the entire series, Ackles and Padalecki stayed surprisingly quiet.
It wasn't a case of amnesia so much as a case of confidentiality: Kripke indicated that there are a number of "curveballs and twists" in the season's final episodes, which have certainly thrown our brothers for a loop.
As for the show's final finale -- hopefully still a long way down the road -- the show's creator divulged that he still has a special coda tucked away to close the book on all of the characters.
He didn't use it for last season's 'Swan Song,' but we will see it when the story finally comes to an end.
bPfOIy-eics
http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/03/14/paleyfest-2011-supernatural/
by Laura Prudom
posted Mar 14th 2011
Check out some of the highlights from the panel below:
Angel Time
Many fans have been missing their Castiel fix of late, but as Collins reassured us on the press line, we're about to see a whole lot more of the embattled angel, especially in the Edlund written-and-directed episode 20, 'The Man Who Would Be King', which will be told from Castiel's POV.
We'll also be introduced to another angel: Castiel's "trusted lieutenant" Rachel, and delve deeper into the civil war in heaven.
It sounds as though Castiel is getting in way over his head in his fight against Raphael, and Sam and Dean will find themselves caught in the middle of the fracas. Collins shared that we'll get to witness a little more of Castiel's inner struggle over the burdens he's had to shoulder ...
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, indeed -- especially if the rumors prove true regarding another fan favorite character who might be making a return in the episode. King of Heaven vs. King of Hell, perhaps?
Puppet Master
For those of you who have been following writer-producer Ben Edlund's career, you may recall that "Supernatural's" resident evil genius has tried his hand at directing once before, on the surreal, puppet-centric 'Angel' episode 'Smile Time'.
Edlund promised that there will be no puppets in his "Supernatural" directing debut, but he did tease that the aforementioned 'King' will be "very emotional" and "bring to fruition some serious friendships" leading into the finale.
He also quipped that we'll be seeing some flashbacks to Castiel's childhood, but we'd take that joke with a grain of salt.
The cast were very complimentary in regards to Edlund's directing style, too.
Collins pointed out that unlike most directors, who periodically appear and disappear on set in a similar way to guest stars, as both a writer and a producer, Edlund actually knows the overall story arc of the season and the characters, which allows him to give advice on an actor's performance in a way that others can't.
Padalecki agreed, recalling that, unlike some directors who just tell him where to stand, Edlund actually walked him through the scene, with directions like "you can pause here and think about how Sam's feeling ... " which Padalecki observed was an unexpected, and welcome, change.
Multitalented Multitasker
We all know that Jensen Ackles is skilled in front of the camera, but after his directorial debut earlier this season, his prowess behind the lens is now well-documented too.
During the panel, Ackles revealed that he'd be eager to hop into the director's chair again should he have the opportunity next season, but admitted on the press line that he was grateful that his first outing, 'Weekend at Bobby's,' was light on his character.
"Out of the eight days we filmed, five of them I was just directing, which was great because the times that I did have to act in the scene and direct at the same time were a bit difficult, because I was in a completely different mindset ...
I didn't realize how different a mindset it was until I was in it. I know now, so given the opportunity again I'll adjust accordingly, but I think the producers may have given me a little reprieve on that just so I could focus," Ackles told us.
"We haven't gotten the official word for season seven yet, but I think that once we do, we'll probably sit down and talk about it. They mentioned that they were very happy and that they would be open to giving me another one, so I'll keep my fingers crossed."
All That Glitters
One of the most popular questions amongst fans pertains to the special amulet that Sam gave Dean for Christmas when they were kids. It was last seen being tossed into a trash can by Dean, but the fans aren't so eager to let go, and Ryan put the question to creator Eric Kripke during the panel.
"Well, contract negotiations with the amulet aren't going so well ... " he quipped. "It's kind of a diva -- it's currently doing a guest spot on 'One Tree Hill'."
In all seriousness, though, Kripke confirmed that there were currently no plans for the amulet to return. Boo!
"I'm Batman."
As Ackles joked on the press line, both he and Collins have long-since begun regret their decision to give their characters the low, graveled voices we've come to know and love -- Collins was only too eager to expound on this during the panel.
"I may be running into medical problems," he joked, musing that someday he'd love to see Castiel carting around a tank of helium so that he could raise the angel's voice back to his normal tone.
Missouri or South Dakota?
During the fan portion of the Q&A, an interesting question arose regarding the fate of Missouri Moseley (Loretta Devine), a character who only appeared in one episode of season one ('Home') but left a lasting impression on fans.
Kripke confirmed that they would certainly be open to seeing the character again someday, Devine's schedule willing.
The creator even confessed that he had originally planned to bring the character back for the season one finale to help Sam and Dean deal with the demon Meg, but when a scheduling conflict arose, he had to rewrite the script, and thus created the character of Bobby as an illustration of what one of John Winchester's grizzled old male hunting buddies might look like.
Jim Beaver let out an audible sigh of relief that Devine couldn't participate in the episode -- if she had, perhaps we'd never have met Bobby Singer at all.
Another interesting tidbit:
The Bobby Singer character was originally supposed to be named Bobby Manners, after both Bob Singer and Kim Manners, but the producers found a real person named Bobby Manners living in South Dakota, so they were legally obligated to change the character's name.
Soul Man
While both the fans and the stars are relieved to have the brotherly dynamic back between Sam and Dean, Padalecki did admit that he misses playing soulless Sam, purely because it was a great challenge, and because he enjoys exploring those darker moments.
Gamble mentioned that it was executive producer Bob Singer who pitched the idea of bringing Sam back sans soul, and Ackles took the opportunity to reiterate how difficult it was to play Dean without that comfortable rapport between the brothers to fall back on.
We may not have seen the last of soulless Sam yet, though -- the wall that Death put up to protect Sam from his memories is flimsy at best, and we'd be surprised if we didn't see it falter altogether before the season is out.
Supernatural: The Movie?
When it was announced that this season's scheduling would facilitate episodes 21 and 22 airing back-to-back on May 20, Kripke explained that he originally intended to structure the final two stories more like a movie, as one cohesive whole.
"But there are so many mythology balls up in the air," he professed during the panel, "in the end, in order to tie up all the loose threads, it's very episodic."
Because of this, both episodes will stand alone, with certain aspects of the mythology tied up in the first hour, and another group tied up in the second hour, all leading up to ... a cliffhanger ending!
When Ryan attempted to find out if there had been any storyline twists the cast members hadn't seen coming over the course of the entire series, Ackles and Padalecki stayed surprisingly quiet.
It wasn't a case of amnesia so much as a case of confidentiality: Kripke indicated that there are a number of "curveballs and twists" in the season's final episodes, which have certainly thrown our brothers for a loop.
As for the show's final finale -- hopefully still a long way down the road -- the show's creator divulged that he still has a special coda tucked away to close the book on all of the characters.
He didn't use it for last season's 'Swan Song,' but we will see it when the story finally comes to an end.
bPfOIy-eics
http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/03/14/paleyfest-2011-supernatural/