Tom Welling returns to The CW, but he won’t play Superman again. This time, he’s entering the world of Supernatural.
In a seven-episode arc, Welling is joining The Winchesters as Samuel Campbell, initially played by Mitch Pileggi in Supernatural. The Winchesters producers and the cast announced it during New York Comic Con on Sunday.
In The Winchesters, we will follow Dean and Sam Winchester’s parents – John and Mary. Narrated by Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), Winchesters is described as “the epic, untold love story of how John met Mary and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love but the entire world.”
Per Deadline, Welling will recur as “Mary’s (Meg Donnelly) dad and the patriarch of the Campbell Hunting family. Samuel taught Mary everything he knows. Gruff and pragmatic, he’s a veteran Hunter who prefers actions over words—and it’s always his way or the highway. But when Samuel teams up with Mary and her friends to save the world, he won’t only have to defeat the most dangerous monster he’s ever faced—he’ll also have to mend his broken relationship with his daughter.”
“When we were discussing casting the iconic character of Samuel Campbell, everyone felt it had to be someone who could step into the role and provide instant gravitas and history,” said executive producer and showrunner Robbie Thompson. “Jensen and Danneel brought up the idea of Tom Welling, and the second his name was mentioned, we all knew he was the perfect person for the part. Tom is a fantastic actor and wonderful human, and we are so excited to be welcoming him to The Winchesters and the Supernatural Family.”
Tom Welling joining the cast brings him back to The CW after starring in Smallville for ten years. He starred in every episode of the series, which gave him the honor of being the longest-running, live-action actor in history to play Superman.
The Winchesters premieres Tuesday, October 11th, on the CW.