Eric Kripke Interview – Comic Con 2010 Press Room
Eric Kripke only sat down with us for five minutes, but it was enough to share his usual deep enthusiasm for the stories to come. He didn’t give away too much that was already known, but he and Ben Edlund are still up to no good. Some things never change, and we love it. Here’s the disclaimer…
SPOILER WARNING!!!!!
(me) So how you learned out to golf? Extra time with the kids?
Laughs. Extra time with the kids, actually. I just had a newborn. (We all offer congratulations). Thank you, thank you. So my time is spent with changing diapers and a nice thin film of spit up, and believe me, my free time is being well spent.
How far are you guys right now?
Ben Edlund and I just figured out the episode for episode nine. So by the time we air we’ll be well past mid season.
How much of the end of season five was affected by the vision of the past. Did it go according to the plan you had at the beginning or was it all changes?
I was able to keep a lot of the story that I wanted and obviously other parts I couldn’t. The wrapping out the Lucifer and Michael story, wrapped out pretty much the way it was going to wrap out. Without going into too much detail I can say were that to be the series finale, I probably would have wrapped it out with more finality. And I probably would have left the characters in a place… I wouldn’t have done a cliffhanger, I probably would have wrapped it out in a place where you would have seen were they were going to be for the rest of their lives. But they’re off on a new adventure.
Rest of their lives?
Open to interpretation, make of that what you will.
You stepped down as showrunner. Are you still there?
I am still there. I’ve been in the room on every episode break I think. I’ve been in the room for all the discussions of episode ideas, I’ve given notes on every script. I’m basically counseligerie. My job is to help Sera and Bob and to make sure that the show falls within the tonal parameters of the show while still encouraging to push it in a new tonal direction. I mean “Supernatural” is a show I think that’s always been pretty good about re-inventing itself. It started as a demon show and it then became an angel show and then it became a bible show, all this before…well even before it became a demon show it was a monster show. So I think it’s a show that thrives on changing into something else. You know I liken it to, or I hope it is, the difference between the Alien movies, before they got weird like episodes 4, 5, 7, whatever. The way that different filmmakers brought to them a different style. I’m hoping that “Supernatural” has a little bit of that. I hope it’s recognizably our show but I think this season’s grittier and kind of more noir in a way.
What my love as a 12 year old boy was Star Wars so for me the mythology was Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, and great Joseph Campbell and a straight forward “A Hero’s Journey” that got marching forward and escalating and Sera brings a different wealth of experiences. We’re talking more about a Chinatown or LA Confidential and something that twists, pains, and every time you learn something new in the mythology it changes what became before it. What does it all mean, what does it add up to and I think there will be more of a mystery this year that I think is interesting.
(Couldn’t hear the question)
You know, I think we’re dealing a lot with monsters again, getting back into monsters and creature. Angels and demons are a little exhausted, it’s hard to top the Apocalypse. (jokes) “Apocalypse Part Two, It’s Bigger! There’s more clowns in it!” So it’s about creatures. We’re bringing back Djinn, were gonna look at vampires, shapeshifters, skinwalkers, as a little tease. Ben Edlund just came up with this idea, because I think it’s so nuts, like fairies and goblins and leprechauns. You know, very Ben Edlund way. Not what you expect. So weird, frankly borderline offense, some really unique, strange, trippy! You know we pitched it to Bob Singer and he gave us this look where, “You are effing nuts.” That’s when I knew we had done our job. So I think all that and more.
Alice Jester is the founder, editor-in-chief, head writer, programmer, web designer, site administrator, marketer, and moderator for The Winchester Family Business. She is a 30 year IT applications and database expert with a penchant for creative and freelance writing in her spare (ha!!) time. That’s on top of being a wife, mother of two active kids, and four loving (aka needy) pets.
I love Kripke’s long answers. And I’m getting even more curious about the show. We’ve passed the 60-days-line by now… soon it will be September.
Thank you, Alice, for your reliable and thorough reports from Comic Con. I wish I could have been there, meeting you again, but, well, as much as I tried, I wasn’t able to get away. Some could call it Kismet. I call it boo-hoo :cry::
Thanks! 🙂 Jas
Thank you! It’s a lot of work to transcribe all of interviews, I know. We translate it for supernatural.ru and give you a credit
Nice interview. Don’t know how you can remember all that.
These Comic Con interviews have been great! Thanks for getting all this info to us! Hope you had a great time in San Diego, Alice!
I really like the premise for Season 6 – the idea of exploring where monsters came from. Just watched Monster Movie last night and I would love for the show to explore where Shapeshifters came from. What do they look like before they morph into other peoples’ skins? They always talk about looking hideous. Would love to know their background.
And the comment Kripke had from talking to Edlund about fairies, goblins and leprechauns just makes me laugh. Makes me think of the episode (can’t remember which one right now) where Dean and Sam are trying to figure out the monster that is wrecking havoc and Dean says leprechauns, Sam retorts back something sarcastic and Dean says, they’re scary, small hands. That just makes me laugh. Would be fun to have this explored.
And it’s nice to hear that Kripke stuck to his guns as far as S5 ender. He says he read negative comments, I hope he also read all the positive comments about that episode.
These are great Alice, thanks.