3. Eric Kripke has always been a fan of the comics. Neil Gaiman’s popular comic book titled ‘The Sandman’ inspired plenty of the Supernatural. Featuring the supernatural beings and the gothic horror atmosphere is definitely a page from the Sandman’s book. Likewise, Kripke was also a fan of the comic books ‘The Boys’ written by Garth Ennis and Darick. He describes Boys to be a satire on the Supernatural culture, it explores realistically what would happen if Superheroes existed in the modern world and were selfish & corrupt. It explores the themes of abusing the power and corporate greed. Before the show found its home at Amazon Prime, Kripke struggled to find a network for ‘The Boys’ due to its extreme nature.
2. Eric Kripke has shared a close connection with the actors of the Supernatural. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki have described Eric to be a close friend and a mentor. It was Kripke who cast them into the roles of the Dean and Sam Winchester which would become the biggest success of their individual careers. Even after stepping down from the role of a show runner, he remained in constant touch with the SPN cast and often times offered his consultation. Eric Kripke’s close relationship with the cast members can be understood from the fact that he had cast Misha Collins on ‘Timeless’, a show that he co-created. Similarly, he had cast SPN actors Jensen Ackles and Jim Beaver in his latest series ‘The Boys’. The show recently cast Jeffrey Dean Morgan who played John Winchester on Supernatural to be featured in Season 4 of the Boys.
He even expressed an interest to return for the finale episode of the Supernatural. But due to his association with Sony for ‘The Boy’s made it tricky for him to return to the CW Network.
1. Did you know that Eric Kripke spent nearly ten years in developing the show Supernaural. However, his earlier version of the SPN was significantly different. Eric Kripke was deeply influenced by the urban legends that he heard while growing up as a child. Original Supernatural idea involved an anthology series revolving around tabloid reporters traveling in a van. Eric Kripke always wanted the show to be a road trip as the real stories can be found ion the road. The Original names were Sal and Dean Harrison for the main characters where were changed to Sam and Dean Winchester.
Due to legal reasons, the name was switched to Winchester as there was mystique revolving around the tale of the ‘Winchester Mystery House’. Kripke took inspiration from cult shows such as Knight Rider and Dukes of Hazzard, and he incoporated the Impala in the Supernatural. The script of the show also went through numerous revisions, from Jessica being a demon, Sam & Dean being raised by their uncle & aunt, to John and Mary meeting a tragic fate together in an accident caused by a demon.