Walker, Texas Ranger is getting the official green light for a reboot and can be expected on the CW with star actor Jared Padalecki in the lead role. Interestingly enough, Padalecki cast as the lead deserves its own kind of attention and discussion. If you’re not already familiar with his work, he’s spent 15 years on Supernatural and made cameos in Friday the 13th and other shows. The common theme is that he’s identified mainly with the horror genre; this makes us wonder why he chose to work on Walker, Texas Ranger, but it’s clear that he won’t be quitting the CW anytime soon.
Walker will follow the 1990’s reimagining of an action crime series that Chuck Norris starred in almost three decades ago. Filling in Norris’s shoes, Padalecki will play Cordell Walker, a crime investigator in the state’s most elite unit. He’s also a father of two children that acts as an undercover cop who runs into conflict and his wife’s suspicious death upon returning home.
The changes might not be huge or even surprising, but they’ll definitely be visible alterations from the original. While the mystery element is still going to be faithful to the predecessor, for instance, other contributions like the casting and diversity have risen as issues to consider modifying. When the original aired in the past, there were limitations on diversity and technicalities like the serialized story progression. This leads to a wide array of questions for how the reboot will work, but we will have to be satisfied knowing it’s only a reboot. That’s right– it’s not a sequel to the series, but we can still pray it’s good if not a better variation.
Taking on Walker makes Padalecki’s third project at CW alone. Gilmore girls and Supernatural’s 15th and final season also featuring Padalecki will cement themselves as CW staple shows. He clearly has experience in the industry, even with the subject matter in fact. Instead of playing Sam Winchester and catching demons, Padalecki will catch criminals.