Jared Padalecki’s ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’: Everything we know
Jared Padalecki and The CW just can’t get enough of each other.
The network’s mainstay Supernatural will be coming to an end as its final episode airs on May 18th, ending a consistently successful 15-year run. But in case you were worried that you’d miss Padalecki’s gorgeous face on the small screen, fret not!
The Gilmore Girls heartthrob is saddling up for what’s sure to be a thrilling ride in the highly anticipated Walker, Texas Ranger reboot, which the network ordered to series on Tuesday. The CW jumped at the opportunity for the action series, reportedly titled Walker, which generated a lot of buzz when the project was initially announced in September.
What does this mean for Jared Padalecki?
The longtime CW (and formerly WB) darling is set to star and executive-produce the reimagining of the beloved series.
Following in the footsteps of its predecessor that aired on CBS from 1993 to 2001 and famously starred martial artist Chuck Norris in the title role (Norris also reprised his role in the CBS 2005 TV movie, Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire), Walker’s official synopsis released by The CW reads:
“A widower and father of two with his own moral code who returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years, only to discover there’s harder work to be done at home.
“He’ll attempt to reconnect with his children, navigate clashes with his family, and find unexpected common ground with his new partner (one of the first women in Texas Rangers’ history) while growing increasingly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death.”
Leaving Supernatural
A Texas native himself, Padalecki had long expressed a desire to return to the lone star state for his next project, and Walker immediately piqued his interest.
Written by Anna Fricke (Being Human, Valor) and executive produced by Dan Lin (Lethal Weapon) and Lindsay Liberatore (LAX), the series is a remarkable next step for Padalecki, whose fan base and close relationship with the network’s president and longtime Supernatural fan Mark Pedowitz ensured that The CW was Walker’s obvious home.
“You will always have a home here, and you will always have a personal fan in me,” he said to the Supernatural cast and crew at TCA in August.
The CW has a spotty track record with reboots, however, as its attempts to revive shows such as Charmed and Roswell never took off. They’ve also made several Supernatural spinoff attempts, which were all decidedly unsuccessful without the addition of Padalecki or series co-star Jensen Ackles.
It is unclear whether Padalecki’s popularity will be enough to live up to the original series; and coming off the success of Chuck Norris’s iconic character, he certainly has some big boots to fill.
Walker, Texas Ranger begins filming this spring and is set for a 2020 release. The CW announced that they also ordered Superman & Lois to series. The latest addition to the Arrowverse will see Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch reprise their roles as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively, as they grapple with the pressures of work and family life in the modern world.
