EXCLUSIVE: The Boys universe is expanding in a BIG way with its first spinoff featuring actors from the hugely popular Prime Video superhero series. Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash are set to headline and produce Vought Rising, a prequel to mothership series, in which they will reprise their characters from The Boys, Soldier Boy and Stormfront, respectively.
The news is about to be unveiled by Jensen (in person) and Cash (via video) at The Boys Comic-Con panel for what is certain to be one of the biggest TV announcements at the convention.
The Boys series executive producer Paul Grellong serves as executive producer and showrunner on Vought Rising, which comes from the main creative auspices behind The Boys franchise, led by the mothership’s developer, executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke.
“We are excited to bring you the next deranged series from the world of The Boys, Kripke and Grellong said, before lifting the veil on the time period and premise of the prequel.
“It’s a twisted murder mystery about the origins of Vought in the 1950s, the early exploits of Soldier Boy, and the diabolical maneuvers of a Supe known to fans as Stormfront, who was then going by the name Clara Vought,” they said, adding, “We cannot wait to blow your minds and trouble your souls with this salacious, grisly saga drenched in blood and Compound V.”
Ackles’ Soldier Boy and Aya Cash’s Stormfront have similar origin stories. Soldier Boy is the first American non-aging Supe, created by Frederick Vought during World War II. Stormfront was Frederick Vought’s first successful test subject for Compound V and she married him before they moved to the U.S.
Grellong and Kripke executive produce Vought Rising alongside Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, Pavun Shetty, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, and Michaela Starr. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, in association with Kripke Enterprises, Point Grey Pictures, and Original Film.
This marks the latest expansion in The Boys franchise whose flagship series has been drawing more than billion viewing minutes weekly in the US alone with the recent release of its penultimate fourth season. Other spinoffs include the animated The Boys Presents: Diabolical, the college-set spinoff Gen V, which is filming its second season, and the upcoming The Boys: Mexico, executive produced by Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal.
With Vought Rising, Ackles gets the rare distinction of headlining two major ongoing series at the same time. He also is the star of Prime Video’s upcoming thriller drama Countdown from One Chicago veteran Derek Haas and Amazon MGM Studios, which last month received a 13-episode order.
Countdown was developed for Ackles who last year entered a first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios for Chaos Machine Prods., his company with wife Danneel Ackles, after he had joined the cast of The Boys. I hear the possibility for a Soldier Boy spinoff from The Boys was factored into the deals for Countdown, so Ackles could do both.
The spinoff also further expands Ackles’ relationship with Kripke which dates back almost two decades to the pilot of Supernatural, which Kripke created and Ackles starred in alongside Jared Padalecki. Right after that series ended its 15-season run, Kripke recruited Ackles to join The Boys in Season 3.
The Boys, based on the best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, is a fun and irreverent take on what happens when superheroes—who are as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians, and as revered as gods—abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good.
The series just wrapped its Season 4 run, with Ackles’ Soldier Boy making a return in a finale post-credits scene. In it, after Senator Calhoun is sworn in as the new President, he takes Homelander to a chamber where Ackles’ Soldier Boy — Homelander’s biological father– is lying in a drug-induced slumber he was put into by Grace Mallory in the Season 3 finale.
Meanwhile, Cash’s Stormfront, who had a relationship with Homelander after being introduced in Season 2, committed suicide early in Season 3.
Ackles has experience with prequels to successful genre series. Best known for his starring role on the long-running WB/CW drama Supernatural, he executive produced and recurred on prequel series The Winchesters. In addition to his role on The Boys, he was a series regular on ABC’s Big Sky. He recently guest starred on CBS’ Tracker as Colter’s (Justin Hartley) brother and is set to reprise the role next season. Ackles is repped by Gersh and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.
Cash starred in the FX comedy series You’re The Worst. Her series credits also include major roles in Fox’s Welcome To Flatch and Hulu’s The Girl From Plainville. She is repped by UTA, Industry Entertainment and Paul Hastings.
TV writer/playwright Grellong has worked on such series as NBC’s Revolution and Law & Order: SVU and CBS’ Scorpion and Hawaii Five-0. He is repped by CAA, The Shuman Company and Schreck Rose Dapello.
