Jared Padalecki Producing Walker Prequel for The CW

While Supernatural veteran Jensen Ackles is preparing his prequel to that series, his longtime onscreen brother, Jared Padalecki, has been starring in Walker, a revival of the '90s staple Walker, Texas Ranger. Now, Padalecki is taking a page out of Ackles's book, and is set to produce a prequel series set in the world of Walker. Padalecki is developing the project, to be called Walker: Independence, with Walker creator/executive producer/showrunner Anna Fricke and executive producers Seamus Fahey, Dan Lin and Lindsey Liberatore. This isn't your "following Walker's dad" kind of prequel, though. This one goes back over 100 years.

Per Deadline, who broke the news, Walker: Independence is set in the late 1800s. It follows Abby Walker, an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West. On her quest for revenge, Abby crosses paths with Hoyt Rawlins, a lovable rogue in search of purpose. Abby and Hoyt's journey takes them to Independence, Texas, where they encounter diverse, eclectic residents running from their own troubled pasts and chasing their dreams. Our newfound family will struggle with the changing world around them, while becoming agents of change themselves in a town where nothing is what it seems. The pilot is to be written by Fahey from a story by him and Fricke.

Family lore is shaping some of the second season of Walker, currently airing on The CW. Some new-old friends moved back into town, and they've got tons of baggage with Walker's family. That includes his childhood crush, with whom he had a kind of star-crossed Romeo and Juliet kind of relationship as teens, and her husband, who isn't thrilled about Cordell Walker, a member of this family of ne'er-do-wells he has heard so much about, being so friendly with his wife.

Fahey has been with Walker from the start, coming off the successes of American Gods and Lethal Weapon. Fricke recently brought a revival of The 4400 to air on The CW. Walker, which was a huge ratings success when it premiered last season, is the biggest hit that CBS -- one half of the network's ownership, along with Warner Bros. Television -- has had on the network in a while. Other CBS shows on the CW include Dynasty and Nancy Drew. There is no word yet on whether Walker: Independence will get a backdoor pilot, or whether the plan is for it to stand completely on its own.