The 100 showrunner Jason Rothenberg has written the pilot for Searchers, a promising new CW action drama.
Before The 100 season 3 had even premiered, Jason Rothenberg began speaking publicly about the new pilot he was working on:
It's Sunday night & I already know Monday is unmakeable: Post 309, prep 314, break 315 & 316, Write New Pilot. Remember I'm lucky. Breathe
— Jason Rothenberg (@JRothenbergTV) December 7, 2015
Characters in my new pilot just called each other Clarke & Bellamy & I didn't realize it until I read the scene. My brain is not on hiatus.
— Jason Rothenberg (@JRothenbergTV) February 7, 2016
Now, there’s finally some concrete news about the project: Deadline reports that The CW has bought the drama series, which will now proceed to the development stage.
Searchers is about “a group of unlikely heroes who find themselves on the journey of a lifetime.” Via Deadline: “10 years after the death of their parents, a pragmatic brother and free spirited sister are forced to team up when they learn that their mother’s terrifying and bizarre stories may be a road map to discovering the great legends, myths, and unexplainable mysteries of the world.”
At first glance, this action/adventure series sounds like a fresher take on the Supernatural premise of saving people, hunting things, with a pair of siblings heading on a paranormal road trip adventure.
But unlike Supernatural, which is a story about brothers, Searchers will explore a complicated brother-sister dynamic — something Rothenberg already has experience writing. Hey, perhaps ‘Searchers’ is just code for ‘The New Adventures of Bellamy and Octavia Blake’ in case of a premature The 100 cancellation.
Rothenberg will executively produce the series with Berlanti Productions’ Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, if the pilot is picked up for a full season.
Searchers sounds like an intriguing premise straight up The CW’s alley. And a collaboration between Rothenberg and Berlanti — who is responsible for The CW’s slew of DC-based superhero series — definitely has our attention. We can’t wait to see how this pilot shapes up!
What does this mean for ‘The 100’?
Practically, not a damn thing. But speculation is always fun, so let’s carry on.
Last week, we wrote a lengthy article speculating about the future of fellow CW drama The 100, which is heading into its fourth season in early 2017.
There has been some speculation that season 4 will be the series’ last, and Rothenberg’s involvement in a new project could be construed as further confirmation that he is planning an exit strategy.
Related: The 100 at SDCC: Jason Rothenberg teases how characters will split up in season 4
However, before you hit the panic (or confetti) button: Remember that CW queen Julie Plec has at least three projects in the works at a time, and The Vampire Diaries carried on for eight seasons anyway.
Plus, Rothenberg has been working on Searchers since at least 2015, long before the post-apocalyptic drama’s season 3 controversies called the show’s future into question.
Just months ago at San Diego Comic-Con, the showrunner discussed potential season 5 plans, and CW boss Mark Pedowitz has repeatedly reaffirmed his attachment to the series.
The 100 season 4 may well be its last; perhaps Searchers could even take its place in the schedule if The CW picks up a full season after seeing the pilot. But Searchers likely wouldn’t premiere until 2018 at the earliest, so it’s hard to base any speculation about The 100‘s season 5 chances on this news.
In my personal opinion, the only concrete thing we can take away from this news is that Pedowitz is still willing to trust Rothenberg, whom he believes has had a “great learning curve of what social media can do whether you be adored or hated at any given time.”