Jensen Ackles Compares His New Streaming Crime Drama To Two of the Greatest Action Movies Ever Made [Exclusive]

Jensen Ackles will always be known for his role as Dean Winchester in Supernatural, but the star has a new crime series coming soon that’s got everyone talking. Ackles will star alongside Eric Dane and Jessica Camacho in Countdown, the thriller show following an LAPD officer who joins a secret task force to investigate a murder, but he uncovers a sinister plot that threatens the lives of millions. The show was written and created for television by Derek Haas, who is known for co-creating the One Chicago universe (Chicago Med, Fire, and P.D.). Collider’s Aidan Kelley had the chance to chat with Ackles at the world premiere of Countdown not long ago, and he asked what drew him to the project:

“It checked a lot of boxes of things I just generally gravitate towards. High stakes, action-packed. There’s humor. It reminds me of all these movies and shows that I grew up watching, like Lethal Weapon, A-Team, Die Hard. It had that throwback feel to it that I was really excited about. But most importantly, it was Derek [Haas]. It was meeting him, getting to know him, and wanting to take a journey with him. It’s been wonderful.”

Supernatural was many fans’ introduction to Ackles — he played Dean Winchester for 15 years on the show — but he’s been a major player in a few other series of late that have grown quite popular. Ackles joined The Boys universe in Season 3 as Soldier Boy, the rough-and-tumble villain who even strikes fear in the heart of Homelander (Antony Starr). Ackles did not reprise his role in The Boys Season 4 until the end of the show, which teased that he would return as a series regular in the fifth season. Ackles has also become famous for starring opposite Justin Hartley in Tracker. He plays Colter’s brother, Russell Shaw, and although he’s only featured in a few episodes thus far, they have been some of the most beloved by fans of the show. Ackles also recently voiced Batman in the Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths series.

A ‘Supernatural’ Reunion Is Coming in ‘The Boys’ Season 5

The Boys Season 5 is confirmed to be the final season of the show, and it will be one for the books for Supernatural fans. It’s been announced that Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins will feature in The Boys Season 5, marking the first time the trio has been on-screen together since the final season of Supernatural. It’s unclear what roles Padalecki or Collins will have to play, but it will certainly be something that pays homage to the work they’ve done with creator Eric Kripke before. The Boys Season 5 is currently in production and expected to be released next year.

The first three episodes of Countdown premiere on Prime Video on June 25. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the show.