Supernatural has been on our screens for an astounding 12 years, and the show’s creative team is constantly finding new ways to keep it fresh. Case in point: a Scooby-Doo crossover episode. When they announced the bizarre event, we were definitely intrigued by the high concept idea of the meeting of these two huge franchises. But it’s not just fans who are excited, as we found out when we visited the Vancouver set of the show. As it turns out, one of the Winchester brothers really, really loves Scooby-Doo.
Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki first learned about the collaboration in January, and have been preoccupied by the crossover since the beginning of the year. “Well, we’ve been been working on it since February, and we’ve already laid down the audio for it,” Ackles said. “They recorded the full thing so it’ll all be documented. What little we’ve done so far has been really fun. We’ve already seen the animatics and that was pretty cool.”
Though the elder Winchester clearly enjoyed the process, it was his younger brother who outed himself as a huge Mystery Inc. fan. “I grew up watching Scooby-Doo,” Padalecki said. “I remember when the Scooby movies came out, and they wanted me to try out for Shaggy. I was young and Lillard is great, but I fought not to do it. It’s like, I’m a huge James Bond fan. Not that I could ever play James Bond, but I would never try out for that because that’s something I want to watch as a fan.”
Padalecki laughed, pausing for breath amidst his excitement. “I’m really excited for Scooby-Doo to be a part of the Supernatural lore, but I’m more excited for the Supernatural lore to be a part of the Scooby-Doo canon.” He continued, “That’s cool for me, you know, that there’s a footnote about Supernatural when people are talking about Scooby-Doo. It’s nerve-wracking to make when you’re such a fan of something, cos you wanna do it justice.”
The Scooby-Doo episode of Supernatural is due to air later this season. The crossover will see the famous teams join together in the guise of a more adult animation. It’s a bold move for The CW‘s longest running show, and one that will undoubtedly be met with a whole lot of interest.
While this kind of crossover will be a first for Supernatural, it’s certainly not for Scooby and the gang. The Scooby-Doo franchise has a history of incorporating other pop culture icons into their haunted adventures, whether it’s the dynamic duo of Batman and Robin, the basketball tricksters of the Harlem Globetrotters, or the original cast of The Addams Family TV series. Many ’70s celebrities also guest starred in Scooby-Doo episodes as themselves, from Don Knotts to Phyllis Diller to Dick Van Dyke to Sonny and Cher.
Jared’s enthusiasm is infectious and we can’t wait to see the Winchesters go for a ride in the Mystery Machine! Are you excited for this meeting of ghostly gangs? Can’t wait to see your favorite hunky hunters in cartoon form? Let us know in the comments!
Images: The CW, Warner Bros.