Next up on our final day here at Comic-Con, time for some Supernatural!
Despite defeating the devil and averting an apocalypse back at the end of season five, the Winchester boys have had more than enough to keep themselves busy, taking them on into an impressive eighth season.
Last season packed its own share of twists, as Castiel was thrown out of the picture and poor Bobby sacrificed his own life for the good of Sam and Dean. Where the show goes from here - and more importantly, who will be around for the next chapter - will be high on the agenda in today's panel here in Hall H.
Note that all times in this blog are Pacific, which is eight hours behind the UK and three hours behind East Coast.
12.16pmAnd that's a wrap for this panel! Join me momentarily for Doctor Who!
12.15pmThe gag reel included a scene of anal sex between Sam and Castiel.
12.11pmAckles adds: "Wednesday night, that's because of you guys. Friday nights is where most shows go to die."
12.11pmGag reel time!
12.09pmWill season eight focus heavily on mythology? Will we be introduced to God? Carver: "This season will actually.. I think we're gonna pull backa little bit from the heavy heavy mythology and give a chance for our brothers to come out a little bit from the crushing amount of mythology. There will be one overarching mythology which will hopefully carry on for many more years."
12.05pmAny time they got tired of being strangled? Sheppard: "YES! He picks me up and shakes me for two minutes at a time." Padalecki: "I hate stuff up against the wall, but luckily we've mostly been tied up lately."
12.04pmWhat did they think of the Destiel relationship? Ackles seems clueless. "It's sort of extreme bromance," says Beaver.
12.03pmBeaver says he bumped into Jeffrey Dean Morgan last night who said he would sneak in today if he didn't have to catch a plane. He caught a plane.
12.02pmPadalecki: "Let me say this in front of our showrunner, I would love to have them back on our show." Sheppard: "I need someone to help me make tea."
12.01pmIf they could pick one character to revive, who would it be? Padalecki: "Definitely no-one up here." Ackles: "Gabriel." Collins: "Chuck."
11.58amWhat do they think of the Purgatory storyline? Will they meet any old enemies or Angels? Ackles: "We haven't seen much of the storyline because it's going to be revealed to us over the season. We don't know what that is, but yes, I'm looking forward to seeing what is revealed." Edlund: "I think that if you go into Purgatory, there's a whole body of events that go on there, a whole subterranean storyline. They're gonna meet some badasses down there." Carver: "We can safely say Purgatory makes strange bedfellows."
11.57amWhat bits of their character would they change? Ackles: "I was always amused when Sam drank the demon blood and had his mind power. That was a really cool arc, I really remember reading the scripts and wishing Dean had that power. But we gotta keep these guys human."
11.56amCollins: "We're all damaged and worldy, but it's kind of.. there's actually a ton to mine right there. Just responding to an ordinary situation now." Sheppard: "We need to explore my loveliness."
11.54amIs there a characteristic of Bobby not addressed yet on the show? Beaver: "I'd like to finish up with Sheriff Rhodes." Padalecki: "I think there are too many aspects of Sam. I don't think that there has been a lot that hasn't been explored with Sam. We've seen these characters through 149 episodes grow and change, and now we get to see who the characters want to be. Dean's off in Purgatory, Sam's without Dean and Bobby and Cas... now with all the fat stripped away, it's like, who am I?"
11.52amWhat kind of an episode is it? Ackles: "The episode is kind of a one-off, which I love. The guys catch wind of something, go after it, kill the bad guy and save the family. It's one of those. It's pretty bloody."
11.50amWhat has Ackles learned through the directing process? "It's probably more of a technical thing, than a creative thing. Directing the first time was trial and error. Pace of a scene is very important. Because Mark has that wonderful voice, I could just sit there and watch it and forget that the scene is now taking nine minutes as he rattles through his dialogue. Also understanding lenses and what they do and how they can direct focus. I'm actually in the midst of directing my third one right now. Directing TV is very difficult - you've got schedules, time limits, budget limits, it's a challenge."
11.49amEdlund: "In one episode you (Jared) were called Chisel Chest and I thought that worked well." Collins: "I would be Ass Butt-Butt."
11.47amWhat would their characters' superhero names be? Padalecki: "Apocalyptakai!"
11.46amSheppard: "I'm pretty much sure there is no such thing as a plural of apocalypse." Padalecki: "Then what is an apocalae?" Sheppard: "It's a creature on Doctor Who." Cheers.
11.45amWho would die first in a real apocalypse? Padalecki: "We've had apocalypses. Apocalyae. How do you pluralise apocalypse?"
11.43amAudience questions. Will the show address the fact that Sam and Dean look nothing alike? Ackles: "If I were to grow my hair this long, you wouldn't tell us apart. If you took his hair off, this is what you're left with. I apologise."
11.42amWhat is it? Carver: "We know it has to do with... umm.." Edlund: "Crowley, Dean, Kevin, Sam are all in a chase for a power source. This season will introduce a game-changing element that we've already seen hints of."
11.40amTheme for season eight is 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. Carver: "Suffice to say, a lot of seasons past, the boys have been reacting to things. This year for the first time, they are starting the season on offence. They really want something, it ties in deeply to the overarching mythology of the show. Something that is very near and dear to their hearts. They are very much united in going after this."
11.40amEdlund: "This is where they're gonna come up against each other in a more antagonistic way. He needs to shore up his camp."
11.38amLast we saw, Crowley took Kevin hostage. What's his plan? Sheppard: "Crowley is essentially what happens when people aren't paying attention. I think the relationship that the boys have had with Crowley had been a rather good one, it's been fruitful and compassionate. I gave them stuff and I got stuff. But I think we might be in a situation this year where we're kinda chasing after the same thing, so it could be a bit of a problem."
11.38amSheppard: "I'm just waiting for season eight to be renamed 'oh Crowley'."
11.37amBeaver: "The pat answer is 'it's Supernatural, anything's possible. I've said anything's possible 7000 times this weekend."
11.36amAs for Bobby, will he be back? Beaver: "I dunno." He's wearing a Deadwood hat and Padalecki suggests someone give him a Supernatural one.
11.36amWhen does he come back? Jared is pressing him for answers. Collins: "I plead the fifth!" Padalecki: "Is Castiel here? Can he tell us?"
11.35amCastiel bolted on Dean. What next? Collins: "He went out for a beer and he'll be back shortly. We're going to explore what happened in Purgatory in flashbacks."
11.34amEdlund: "They're emotional shutoffs who need to learn to deal with other people. They've spent a lot of time in that car together. We're trying to get more complex and human relationships."
11.32amChallenges of bringing in new characters who get close to the brothers. Carver: "The strength of the show is the bond between these two brothers and ultimately, at the core there, they are just as open to new relationships and new beginnings as anyone else in the world. When they were separated at the end of the last season, it had a profound effect on both of them. They've each gone a very separate way... the relationships they've made in their time off from each other will carry forward and be very, very important in their lives."
11.31amWhat about romance for Dean? Ackles: "Does Dean ever get romance? I think the only real romance in Dean's life is the car. So in that regard, absolutely."
11.30amJared takes a picture of the crowd to Tweet.
11.30amSam's rumoured love interest. Padalecki: "He's getting some action this season. It's long overdue."
11.29amEdlund: "How he's brought to the limits in that place will be examined over the course of the season."
11.29amEdlund: "His return from Purgatory is going to happen quite quickly, and the story of what happened in Purgatory is one that we're going to track for quite a long time."
11.27amDean was left in Purgatory, last we saw. Ackles: "Yes. After Hell, it's like diet Hell. Hell Zero." When will he get out? "I think much like the Hell situation, obviously Dean can't stay down forever."
11.27amDean was left in Purgatory, last we saw. Ackles: "Yes. After Hell, it's like diet Hell. Hell Zero." When will he get out? "I think much like the Hell situation, obviously Dean can't stay down forever."
11.27amWhat's it like returning? Carver: "It's wonderful. Like having been a camper, coming back as a counsellor."
11.26amWe also have consulting producer Ben Edlund.
11.25amOut come the panel: Jeremy Carver, Mark A Sheppard (Crowley), Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins and Jim Beaver.
11.24amWe've just watched highlights of season seven.
11.18amWB publicist Holly comes out to gee up the crowd and promote her Twitter handle.
11.17amIn production terms, show runner Sera Gamble has stepped down and been replaced by Jeremy Carver.
11.15amTo recap, at the end of last season, Dean successfully squashed Dick but then found himself trapped in Purgatory with Castiel.
11.13amJust a few minutes until we get underway on this panel.
Follow us on X/Twitter and like us on Facebook for the latest entertainment news alerts.
Media Mole April Offer: Get Sky Entertainment, Sky Stream & Netflix for just £23 a month + £0 upfront fee for 18 months!
Prices may change during this period. Ends 25th April 2024
