A prequel for The CW’s hit series Walker, starring and executive produced by Jared Padalecki (Supernatural), is in the works, according to Deadline. The period drama spin-off, Walker: Independence, comes from Walker creator, showrunner, and EP Anna Fricke and series writer and executive producer Seamus Fahey, with Padalecki set to executive produce. The series also hails from executive producers Dan Lin and Lindsey Liberatore.
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“Set in the late 1800s, Walker: Independence follows Abby Walker, an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West,” reads the synopsis. “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 teleplay for the potential new series is written by Fahey from a story by him and Fricke.
“There is so much space [for story],” Padalecki said (via TV Insider). “So kudos to Anna and Seamus and the gang for coming up with this awesome idea.”
The second season of Walker has introduced a rivalry between the Walkers and the Davidsons, and the prequel would include the origin story of both families and their feud: “With the prequel, we [see] how the Walkers became the Walkers, how the Davidsons became the Davidsons, and how they became our version of the Hatfields and McCoys…we go way back to the 19th century to meet the first Walker who shows up in [Texas] and see her journey into [setting] her own path,” said Padalecki.
Padalecki added that “Texas is a character in Walker,” and calls the spin-off a love letter to the state. “This is where I am from, and this is part of me, with all of its goods and bads. I’m going to try and really accentuate the goods in my own life, acknowledge the bad, and move towards the former and away from the latter. So this is a love letter [to Texas]…we’ll get another sense of where Texas might have been a hundred-plus years ago and that’s going to be awesome.”
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As Deadline notes, Walker was an instant breakout for The CW when it debuted its first season earlier this year, becoming the network’s most-watched series and opening up possibilities for expanding the franchise. The Season 2 midseason finale will air tomorrow, December 9.
