Supernatural fans were recently heartbroken to learn that their beloved Misha Collins would not be returning to the seventh season as a series regular, but rather as a special guest star with less frequent appearances. Even more heartbreaking perhaps, is that we still don't know why. Salary issues? Scheduling conflicts? Loss of angel mojo?
Michael Ausiello of TVLine recently doled out a few interesting bits in his weekly column over what he'd learned from Misha himself, and what series showrunner and executive producer Sera Gamble had to say on the departure. The short answer? Castiel only knows.
When asked to get the scoop from Collins himself, Ausiello replied "We tried, but the dude’s not talking. Perhaps he wants to lay low until the storm passes — assuming it does, in fact, pass." On the other hand, showrunner Sera Gamble did comment on the reaction to Collins' departure, saying:
“We have passionate fans. We have fans that have strong opinions about a lot of things that happen on the show. People ask me if I’m worried about a fan backlash [in the wake of Collins' demotion]. We just want to tell a good story and not be redundant and bring you interesting stories that are fresh. Going into Season 7, we have a new, interesting story that we want to tell to you. That’s what’s front of mind right now.”
As we'd previously learned, Gamble envisioned season seven to have something of an "outlaw" feel given Sam and Dean's relationship with the newly-empowered Castiel, going so far as to advise writers to watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid for reference. But Collins' departure does raise questions over other Supernatural cast members stepping up to fill the void, like...say...Jim Beaver's Bobby Singer?
Maybe. Says Gamble, “We have a fantastic relationship with Jim. We bring him in as the story demands it. He’s basically a fixture on the show as necessary.”
Well, who knows? Maybe the notoriously tweety Misha Collins will step down from the heavens to enlighten us with the reasoning behind his departure. Until then, we'll keep ganking away at whatever we can find.
What say you? Do you think Castiel should have a more reduced role on Supernatural, or will season seven suffer without the angel on its shoulders? Summon your thoughts below!
