‘Once Upon A Time’ Season 7: What To Expect From ‘The Next Chapter’
When six of the main cast principals announced their intent to leave Once Upon a Time, fans were left wondering how the show could continue. After all, with Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), Prince Charming (Josh Dallas), Henry (Jared Gilmore), Belle (Emilie de Ravin), Zelena (Rebecca Mader), and Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) departing, where could Once Upon a Time Season 7 possibly go?
The sixth season finale ended in the only possible way that a fairy tale show like Once Upon a Time could – at least for the Charming family. With the defeat of the Black Fairy, the story of Emma Swan and her tale came to a happy ending (or a happy beginning?). The very end of the finale let fans know exactly where Once Upon a Time‘s seventh season was heading. A huge time-jump will lead into a reboot of the series, with Andrew J. West (formerly of The Walking Dead) taking over as a grown up Henry. Henry must venture back to Storybrooke to save his family at the prompting of his long-lost daughter, Lucy (Alison Fernandez).
To allay fan fears and answer questions, showrunners Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis sat down with The Hollywood Reporter for a short question and answer session.
First, the pair wants fans to know that this isn’t a complete reboot of the series. Everything that’s happened did happen, it’s just starting the story from a new point. It’s a new chapter in a series that pays homage to the original premise. After all, there are several iconic characters that are returning. Regina (Lana Parrilla) and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) are both returning, as is Rumple (Robert Carlyle).
There is a lot to explore in this new chapter as well. There’s the story of how Henry grew up and lost his daughter. After all, Henry is the grandson of the original Prince Charming (making him Prince Charming Jr. Jr., according to Horowitz). How he managed to lose a daughter is something that Kitsis and Horowitz are both excited to explore and share with the audience.
There is also the angle of Hook and Rumple’s stories without their beloved Emma and Belle as series regulars. That doesn’t mean that they might not return as guest stars for special episodes.
The pair also explained that Jennifer Morrison is definitely returning for at least one episode and that the door is open for others to return for guest shots. After all, Rose McIver currently is the lead of iZombie on the CW, and she was able to reprise her role as Tinker Bell.
To fans that are upset over the series regulars that are leaving, Kitsis had this to say.
“At a certain point after six seasons, some people’s journeys needed to have an endpoint. We believe that what we are going forward and doing is what people love about the show, which is a show about hope and fairytale characters trying to find themselves in the real world. We’re going to return to more storytelling like that, and if they love the original Once, then hopefully they will enjoy the next chapter and the new universes and adult Henry.”
Horowitz added that he felt that the show was blessed to have a fan base that was so passionate about the story. He reiterated that there’s always a chance of seeing some departing characters again.
Horowitz continued, saying, “But really, I think as Eddy [Kitsis] said, we’re trying to go on in the spirit of what we started in season one and telling those kind of stories again with a new canvas that’s really exciting to us as storytellers. We really hope that the audience will feel the same way as they see these new stories that we start to tell.”
Read the full interview here.
What do you think, fellow Oncers? Are you excited to see where the restart takes Storybrooke? Let us know in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
