Jensen Acklesis set to star in a number of upcoming TV shows and projects as his stardom in Hollywood continues to grow and take him to new heights in his career.Ackles had his first on-screen credit when he was just 17, when he appeared in one episode ofWishbone. From there, he went on to appear in a wide variety of TV shows in minor roles. One of his first notable appearances was as the teenage Eric Brady in the soap opera,Days of our Lives, where he appeared in almost 450 episodes between 1997 and 2000.
From there,Ackles continued to audition for dream roles like Clark Kent inSmallville,but he narrowly missed out to Tom Welling. However, his big break came shortly after when he landed a leading role in The CW series,Supernatural. Ackles became a household name while playing the character of Dean Winchester for 15 years, and his career has continued on an upward trend since the show ended in 2020. Most recently, he has appeared as the voice of Batman for animated DC projects, and as the anti-hero,Soldier Boy inThe Boys.
The next show that Ackles will appear in is the CBS Original series,Tracker, starring Justin Hartley.Despite Ackles not landing the role of Clark Kent inSmallville, he was cast in a recurring role as Jason Teague, a romantic rival to Clark who dated Lana Lang briefly and worked as an assistant coach for the Smallville Crows football team. While Ackles' time on the show ended in 2005 with the season 4 finale, Hartley joined the cast in season 6 as Oliver Queen. The pair did not overlap, but the connection highlights their proximity.
While Ackles went on to star inSupernaturalimmediately following his time onSmallville, Hartley spent several years as a recurring character inSmallvilleand then landed a leading role in the hit seriesThis is Usin 2016.Trackeris one of the first shows where Hartley is the primary lead character with others cast in supporting roles.The series is also not dissimilar toSupernaturalin some ways, as it follows an episodic weekly story format where Hartley’s character, Colter Shaw, is hired to track down targets across mainland America.
WhileTrackerprimarily follows Colter on solo missions, the team up between Colter and Russell added to the intensity and excitement of the series…
In the first season,Ackles appeared in the penultimate episode asRussell Shaw, Colter’s older brother, and the pair embarked on a mission together to help uncover secrets about their family.WhileTrackerprimarily follows Colter on solo missions, the team up between Colter and Russell added to the intensity and excitement of the series, as Ackles delivered an outstanding performance in a role that feels familiar and reminiscent of Dean Winchester in several core ways.
While Ackles only appeared in one episode of season 1, he has been confirmed to appear again in season 2,and will likely help to clear up some of the foggy Shaw family history as he appears. Considering Russell left home and worked in the military for nearly two decades, and then worked as a mercenary, he is an interesting character whose skills have helped him to connect with his brother and be useful in his line of work.
However, there are certainly still some lingering mysteries about what happened between Russell and their father on the night of his death, which may finally be answered inTrackerseason 2.
Next on the slate for Ackles is the first show where he is starring since the conclusion ofSupernatural.While Ackles has played the lead in animated features, he has predominantly played significant supporting roles since 2020.That changes with Ackles now set to star in the Amazon Prime Video series,Countdown.
The series kicks off with a mysterious murder that bringsJensen Ackles' character,Mark Meachum, into a secret team of law enforcement agents from a variety of different departments and backgrounds.With so many egos and strong-willed characters, things are likely to get heated, but the drama thriller promises to turn up the heat as the mystery becomes more complex and the plot thickens. This appears to be in line with many of Ackles' previous roles, but it will be interesting to see him play an official government agent as opposed to impersonating one.
Countdownappears to be one of the more dramatic and serious roles he has ever taken, with less focus on superpowers or supernatural creatures.
Throughout his career,Ackles has always played tough and intense male characterswho have a lot of anger and frustration. Whether he has been abandoned by a loved one, or finds himself pulling at a thread that leads down darker paths, Ackles has a knack for playing the tough guy. However,Countdownappears to be one of the more dramatic and serious roles he has ever taken, with less focus on superpowers or supernatural creatures.
This will be a great opportunity for the actor to showcase his versatility and prove that he is capable of more than just playing the strong and tough characters.Of course, due to his role as an officer in the LAPD, he will likely carry over some of these traits, but as he learns to work with others from a variety of backgrounds, Meachum will need to learn to work with others, and put his ego aside. This will likely provide plenty of opportunities for Ackles to deliver a dynamic and complex performance, outside a pure fiction or fantasy setting.
The Boys
Speaking of fantasy, Ackles has also become a pivotal figure in thelatest series by Eric Kripke, the creator ofSupernatural, who has since gone on to create the extremely popular series,The Boys, for Amazon Prime Video. The series is an adaptation of the lesser-known comic book series of the same name from the minds of Garth Ennis and Darrick Robertson, and it takes a closer look at the reality of having people with powers in a far-from-perfect world. The show debuted in 2019 and is set to release its fifth and final season in 2026.
Ackles joined the cast in 2022 for season 3, when he assumed the role of Soldier Boy. Soldier Boy is one of the first heroes who became an employee of Vought America and fought in World War II. Soldier Boy was the leader of a superhero team, known as Payback, and they helped to pave the way for superheroes to become a welcome and celebrated part of everyday life in the USA. Thanks to his efforts during the war, Soldier Boy and his team were lauded and praised across the country, and they lived lavish, extravagant lives.
For decades, Soldier Boy was then held in a frozen state by Vought so that the company could control his power.
However, as an employee of Vought, he also became an object for the company to use as they saw fit.Soldier Boy was experimented on, and his DNA was taken in order to create a new generation of heroes,with Homelander becoming the most successful result of these methods. For decades, Soldier Boy was then held in a frozen state by Vought so that the company could control his power, and ensure he did not become a problem that could interfere in their plans.
In season 3 ofThe Boys, Soldier Boy is seen as a reckless and destructive antagonist who has his desires in line with Butcher’s team,to the point that he is willing to kill Homelander and take down Vought. However, at the last minute,Butcher and the teamturn on Soldier Boy, and he is once again frozen by Vought. Now, he is expected to make his return in season 5 for an explosive comeback which will likely incur incredible destruction and violence.
1Vought Rising
Expanding the Universe
However, much of the story of Soldier Boy still remains in his past.The character was a hero whose height of popularity was in the middle of the 20th century.While leading Payback, working with other heroes like Stormfront, and seeing Vought become the megacorporation that is pulling the strings inThe Boys.
Fortunately, despite this story existing prior to the events of The Boys, the show will soon get a spin-off that digs into these early events inVought Rising.
Once again, Ackles is expected to star in the series that will go back and look at the period when Vought grew to become its own superpower and take over corporate America.Soldier Boy will be joined by Stormfront, as well as presumably the other members of the Payback team, including Black Noir. The series is sure to clear up the murky history of Soldier Boy and his relationship with Vought, and how the company was able to get the best of him before putting him on ice permanently,
The series will be executive produced by Eric Kripke, with Ackles getting a producer credit, but Paul Grellong is tacking on showrunner duties for the upcoming series.At present, the release date, number of episodes in season 1, and how long the show is likely to go on for are all uncertain.And while it remains in thesame world asThe Boys, like the other spin-off,Gen V, the series is adding to the world of these stories with very little foundation from the original comics.
Ultimately,Jensen Acklesis keeping busy with several projects, and continuing to delight and excite fans in a variety of TV shows and films which are expected to arrive in the next couple of years.
However,The Boyshas also taken plenty of creative liberties with the story from the comics and the show continues to be a tremendous success.Therefore, it is likely thatVought Risingis in good hands, and considering the success Ackles has had in recent years with his other work, it is likely the star will be able to attract plenty of viewers to the new show.
Ultimately, Jensen Acklesis keeping busy with several projects, and continuing to delight and excite fans in a variety of TV shows and films which are expected to arrive in the next couple of years.
Jensen Ackles Is Rumored For The Role Of The DCU Batman
While Jensen Ackles has a lot of projects on the horizon, many fans are hoping one of the next projects he lines up will see him joining James Gunn’s DCU. Ackles has been a fan-favorite choice to play Batman for a number of years with many of them hoping thatBatman: The Brave and the Boldwill be his chance to finally suit up as the Caped Crusader. Ackles has voiced Batman in several animated DC projects, but there is still a strong desire to see him take on the role in a live-action movie.
There are many examples offan art depicting Ackles as Batman, which highlights the passion fans have for this casting as well as proving that the actor has the right look for the role. While there are some who feel Ackles might now be too old to play Batman,withThe Brave and the Boldfocusing on Bruce Wayne’s relationship with his son, Damien, an older Batman could be required. There are rumors of Robert Pattinson’s Batman moving into the DCU, but those remain rumors at the moment, and the hope of Ackles as Batman is kept alive by fans.
Jensen Ackles
Discover the latest news and filmography for Jensen Ackles, known for Supernatural and The Boys.
