‘Once Upon a Time:’ Who’s Leaving, Who’s Staying, Who’s Joining
As you may or may not have heard, the fairy tale television series Once Upon a Time is rebuilding its cast.
Regular cast member Jennifer Morrison (Emma Swan) announced she would exit the show after the season 6 finale. The actress was offered an extension of her contract, but she declined for personal reasons she discussed with TV Line.
Rebecca Mader (Wicked Witch of the West) confirmed on May 12 in an Instagram post that she will not be returning for Season 7 either:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BT-2LNfAfy_/
Four days after Morrison’s announcement, it was confirmed that Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White), Josh Dallas (Prince Charming), Emilie de Ravin (Belle), and Jared Gilmore (Henry Mills) were also leaving.
Co-creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis released a full statement addressing the changes.
“Words can’t do justice to what Ginny, Josh, Emilie, Rebecca and Jared brought to ONCE UPON A TIME… but we’ll try… never have we had the privilege of working with a more talented group of collaborators. Each brought unique talent, incredible intelligence, and their own individual bit of magic as they gave life to these iconic characters.
Ginny reinvented Snow White for a modern audience – there was no way she would be stuck cleaning up after dwarfs, she created an iconic empowered heroine for the 21st century.
Josh mined the depths of Prince Charming – a character who in myth was just a “type” but in his superlative interpretation became a complex man fighting for love and family.
Emilie took the character of Belle to a deep and soulful place, bringing great intelligence and warmth to the character, making her fiercely independent, strong willed but also an eternal optimist who saw only the best in all those she encountered.
Rebecca took us on a broomstick roller coaster ride as she re-invented the Wicked Witch of the West by finding the pain beneath the green. She made the character soar to incredible heights while always keeping her grounded and relatable.
And Jared literally grew up before the eyes of millions, from a child actor with enormous innate talent to a young man whose abilities continue to astound as he created a character who truly, as we say on the show, has the heart of the truest believer.
We can’t thank them enough for the hard work, dedication, and passion they delivered day in and day out. Without them there would be no ONCE UPON A TIME.
As ONCE continues, this group will always be the beating heart of the show. And even though we won’t be with them every week, in a show about magic and hope, we fervently believe it won’t be the last we see of them. “
This last sentence teases at some cameos.
We already know that the departure of these characters will be referenced in the upcoming season, and Emma Swan is set to make a cameo in one of the episodes, but will we see any more?
So that leaves us with the question: well, who the heck is staying then?!
Lana Parrilla (The Evil Queen), Robert Carlyle (Rumplestiltskin) and Colin O’Donoghue (Captain Hook) are staying for the upcoming season.
Now, who’s joining the cast?
As regulars in the TV show, Dania Ramirez (Devious Maids) and Gabrielle Anwar (Burn Notice) are set to join. Whereas Mekia Cox (Chicago Med), Rose Reynolds (Wasted) and Adelaide Kane (Reign) are joining for recurring roles in the upcoming season.
The character descriptions have not yet been released.
Andrew J West (the adult version of Henry Mills) and Alison Fernandez (Henry’s daughter, Lucy) will also be joining the show as regulars after guest starring in the Season 6 finale.
The seventh season of Once Upon a Time is set to air this fall, and it will air on Friday nights instead of Sundays.
Source: E! News.