Jensen Ackles recently returned to Vancouver to finish work on Supernatural's fifteenth and final season, but he's now booked his first major gig after playing Dean Winchester for a decade and a half.
According to TV Line, he will reunite with original Supernatural showrunner Eric Kripke for season three of The Boys. There, he will play Soldier Boy, the world's first superhero celebrity after he fought in World War II. He became an American icon in the years that followed, and is obviously meant to be a parody of Marvel Comics character Captain America.
"When I was a child, I had a crazy, impossible dream — to provide Jensen Ackles with gainful employment," The Boys showrunner Kripke said in a statement. "I’m happy to say that dream has come true. Jensen is an amazing actor, an even better person, smells like warm chocolate chip cookies, and I consider him a brother."
"As Soldier Boy, the very first Superhero, he’ll bring so much humor, pathos and danger to the role. I can’t wait to be on set with him again, and bring a bit of Supernatural to The Boys."
There were two Soldier Boys in Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic book series, but Ackles is clearly playing the original (rather than the one who later does everything - literally - he can to join The Seven). The show is bound to put its own unique spin on the character, though, and it should be a lot of fun getting to see Ackles play a very different sort of character on screen.
Plus, don't forget that he was once a fan-favourite choice to play Captain America online!