The CW has released their fall premiere schedule, and the seventh season of the Winchester brothers (Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles) will be kicking off Friday, September 23rd, at 9PM after the Nikita season premiere.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Supernatural' Star Misha Collins Talks Castiel's Role in Season 7

The CW's 'Supernatural' has spent six years defying audience expectations and gleefully leaving us on the edge of our seats with every season finale, but last season's climactic close proved to be one of the most shocking yet.

Fan-favorite character Castiel (Misha Collins) pulled a dirty double cross in the last few episodes, revealing an unholy alliance with the demon Crowley for dominion over purgatory ... and let's just say that the finale didn't leave Cas and the Winchesters on the best of terms.

I recently had the privilege of traveling to Haiti with Collins and his charity, Random Acts, for a life-changing voluntary excursion (we'll have an in-depth feature on the trip next week), but during our wide-ranging interview, I couldn't resist slipping in a couple of questions about his status next season, and his response to the outpouring of fan support for his character.

There's not much new information here, but proceed with caution, there are mild spoilers ahead.

When news broke of Collins' change from series regular to recurring guest star for Season 7, many fans took to the web to make their outrage known, with responses ranging from writing letters to the showrunners and The CW (as well as creating a book of "Letters to Castiel" given to the actor at a recent convention, which Collins called "very sweet") to filling message boards and comment sections with their opinions.

Those pleas didn't fall on deaf ears, according to Collins. "I haven't been keeping my finger on the pulse of [fan] campaigns, but I have gotten word from Warner Bros. that they were inundated with questions ... or something," he wryly confirmed. "I don't really know what they were inundated with ... maybe it was just a flood; it could have been a flood in Burbank."

While we wouldn't put it past 'Supernatural' fans to devise a deluge of biblical proportions, we're hoping that the panic is premature.

Here's what Collins could tell us for sure: "I am not going to be a series regular on 'Supernatural' next year. I don't really know what my role on the show is going to be. I know that I'm going to be in the first two episodes at this point, but I don't know beyond that what the season holds for me."

Although Collins hadn't yet read the script for the second episode at the time of our interview, he did express hope for "some redemption" for the beloved character. And since the original plan was for Castiel to die in season six before the producers revised their position, we're cautiously optimistic that there's a chance for Castiel to receive an arc worthy of the character Collins and the writers have created, when all is said and done.

In a recent interview with TV Line, executive producer Sera Gamble seemed to echo that sentiment. "We love Misha. We love and adore the character of Castiel," she insisted. "His character developed to this extent and went in this unexpected direction because we were so inspired by him."

Regardless of how often Castiel will appear in Season 7, Collins was emphatic in his admiration for 'Supernatural' and the team behind it, and it's clear that there are no hard feelings over the progression of his storyline, with the actor reiterating that it's "the best work environment I've ever had."

In addition to spurring fans to speak out on the direction of 'Supernatural', Collins' inspirational nature was also instrumental in the creation of Random Acts, a charitable organization dedicated to "changing the world, one random act of kindness at a time."

Thanks to Collins and the Random Acts team, 'Supernatural' fans have so far raised more than $171,000 to fund charitable initiatives in Haiti, Japan and across the globe, and sent 22 volunteers to Jacmel earlier this month to help aid in the construction of a multipurpose community center and sustainable fish farm, to feed, shelter and educate Haiti's homeless and disadvantaged children.

Avots: šeit