‘Once Upon A Time’ Introduces Merida From ‘Brave’ And The Dark Swan At Comic-Con [Video]
Once Upon a Time is introducing its unique twist on Merida, the curly-haired tomboy princess from Pixar’s Brave. Perhaps the spunky redhead and her trusty bow can help save Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) from being stuck as the “Dark Swan” forever.
According to Deadline, Scottish actress Amy Manson (Being Human, Atlantis) has been cast as Merida. At the Once Upon a Time Comic-Con panel, fans were treated to a clip of Merida showing off her archery skills by hitting a bullseye with one arrow and splitting that arrow with another one. Because she’s so skilled with a bow, Merida seems like she could be a romantic rival for Regina (Lana Parrilla) — the princess’ marksmanship will surely impress Prince of Thieves Robin Hood (Sean Maguire).
Once Upon a Time fans at Comic-Con also got to see just how black Emma Swan’s heart becomes after she becomes the new Dark One. A second sneak peek showed an imprisoned Dark Swan ripping out and crushing the heart of a jail worker delivering her meal. As you can see, Emma definitely isn’t in Storybrooke in the clip below.
According to the creators of OUAT, Emma Swan won’t immediately become the murderous, sparkly-skinned madwoman in the video above — it’s possible that clip is simply meant to show her potential for evil. The scene may just be a bad dream.
“We intend to show you how she would become dark and what would happen if she was,” Edward Kitsis told Entertainment Weekly. Co-creator Adam Horowitz also said that Emma’s dance with darkness is a “slow burn.”
Merlin is the only one who can save the Dark Swan from the curse of the Dark One’s dagger, so Once Upon a Time will be going to Camelot during Season 5. As the Inquisitr previously reported, King Arthur will be played by British actor Liam Garrigan. Sinqua Walls is returning as Lancelot, Elliot Knight will be playing Merlin, Joana Metrass has been cast as Guinevere, and Andrew Jenkins will play Arthur’s favorite knight, Percival. Horowitz hinted that Hook may have a connection to Camelot, so he could play a key role in rescuing his ladylove.
It sounds like Captain Swan and Outlaw Queen fans will definitely have a reason to swoon once their favorite adventurers make it to the land of The Sword in the Stone. According to Edward Kitsis, the beloved couples will find a little time to steal romantic moments during their Camelot mission.
“The one thing I know about Merlin is he’s tied into King Arthur, and the one thing I know about Arthur is he’s from Camelot, and if there’s one thing I know about Camelot is it’s a place for romance. As far as we’re concerned, all the couples will still be very active.”
Unfortunately, there’s no word on how Merida fits into all of this. However, you can check out Amy Manson as the Brave character in the Comic-Con clip below.
Once Upon a Time returns Sunday, September 27, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
[Image credit: ABC]
