‘Once Upon A Time’ Creators Say Merida Is ‘A Spitfire’
Once Upon a Time will be introducing the new character in the season premiere, played by Amy Manson, and the live action version of Merida will be very much like the animated character created for the Pixar film.
“[Merida is] a spitfire like [she was in] the movie,” says Once Upon a Time executive producer Edward Kitsis. “If she’s not your favorite new character this year, I won’t know what to say. She’s a lot of fun.”
“This is the first Pixar character on the show,” executive producer Adam Horowitz tells Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a character Eddy and I have loved since the movie came out. We’re very excited to include her in the show.”
Tying the events of Brave together with the timeline of Once Upon a Time has been an essential part of bringing the Merida character into the fold and, as the Once Upon a Time executive producers reveal, careful thought has been given to just how Merida might be introduced.
Merida will arrive in Storybrooke “some time after the events of the movie,” Horowitz says. “We’re going to give you a little taste of where she’s been since then, what’s happened to her since the end of that movie, and then we’re going to see that that somehow crosses with our people and with our Once Upon a Time mythology.”
It was also revealed that Merida will first meet up with Once Upon a Time‘s newest villain, otherwise known as the Dark Swan. The Once Upon a Time exec only revealed that the two would meet up, teasing fans with the idea that Merida may be the first to feel Emma’s wrath.
“It’s certainly a part of Emma’s journey as the Dark Swan and dealing with her darkness,” Horowitz says. “All that is tied with how we explore the world of Camelot this year. At the end of last year, Merlin was revealed to be very important to what Emma needs. Hopefully you’ll see that it all ties together in a fun way. You’ll get that pretty much from the start. In the season premiere, there’s a lot that happens, including Merida and giving you a taste of what we plan to do with Camelot.”
Hypable reports that there are several theories relating to Merida’s parents and also to whom Merida might become involved with, as Once Upon a Time advances into its fifth season, but the show’s executive producer is quick to debunk any such theories.
“We are sticking to the canon of the movie Brave in terms of who her parents are and where she came from, but post-movie is where our Once Upon a Time spin comes into play,” said Horowitz.
The season premiere for Once Upon a Time will air on Sunday, September 27 on ABC.
[Featured image: Amy Manson courtesy of Jack Rowand/ABC]
