‘Once Upon A Time’ Star Lana Parrilla Mourns Cast Exodus And Teases A ‘Star Wars’ Crossover

The news that Jennifer Morrison’s exit from Once Upon a Time has prompted a mass exodus of the show’s primary cast has left fans wondering where the fantasy series is headed next. Star Lana Parrilla, who plays Regina Mills and the Evil Queen on the show, shares her feelings about moving forward without the full cast and explores her thoughts about those departing Once Upon a Time to broaden their own horizons. Thinking back to the series, Parrilla also teases her own ideas for the future of Storybrooke, which includes sending it off to a galaxy far, far away.

Lana Parrilla Contemplates Once Upon A Time Without Its Core Cast

While not every main cast member is leaving Once Upon a Time, Gold Derby reports that enough of them are that the departures will forever alter the face of the series. Specifically, Jennifer Morrison (Emma Swan), Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White), Josh Dallas, (Prince Charming), Jared Gilmore (Henry Mills), Emilie de Ravin (Belle Gold), and Rebecca Mader (Zelena) won’t be returning for the next installment. That still leaves a good portion of the cast to reform the series, but as Lana Parrilla comments, Once Upon a Time will never be the same.

“We’ve been a family over the years and Once Upon a Time is all of us,” Lana Parrilla said. “It’s what I’m used to, it’s what I know. We have developed strong relationships. I am really going to miss working alongside all those people moving forward.”

As for Parrilla, she’s still very much in love with her Once Upon a Time character, commenting that it has been a real joy to play someone as unpredictable as Regina Mills. While Regina sometimes takes a darker path in some circumstances, Lana loves her character best for her desire to do what’s best for her loved ones. To that end, the sometime villain strives to be a better version of herself in spite of her past.

Ms. Parrilla teases the idea that, while Jared Gilmore is leaving, there will still be a Henry Mills in the next season of Once Upon a Time.

“I am excited to see what the next chapter is for Regina and who this new Henry is,” says Lana. “If he’s older, does that mean I’m aging? I don’t know!”

Lana Parrila Is Pulling For A Storybrooke Meets Star Wars Crossover

By now, it’s common knowledge that Disney, the corporation behind Once Upon a Time, also owns the rights to the Star Wars franchise. As Digital Spy reports, Lana Parrilla finds this to be the perfect arrangement for her dream Once Upon a Time story arc because she wants the Evil Queen to team up with Darth Vader.

While sending Luke, Leia, and Han Solo (or perhaps Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron) to Storybrooke may be unlikely at present, that hasn’t stopped Parrilla from fantasizing about the match up.

“I think that we should somehow incorporate Star Wars,” Parrilla suggested. “I think that [co-creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis] are huge Star Wars fans, and if there was a way to bring Darth Vader in, that would be cool.”

Once Upon a Time fans know that Regina’s heart is already taken and they’re very excited to see how this romance progresses in the coming season, but that hasn’t kept Lana from considering her character’s options. Thinking back to Regina’s darker days, Ms. Parrilla suggests her character might take a liking to old Anakin Skywalker.

Even now, Lana says a Once Upon a Time crossover with Star Wars could still lead to some heavy sparks, though in a different respect.

“But it would just be fun, I think, to just battle him,” said Parrilla. “I’ve seen crazy fan art with the Evil Queen versus Darth Vader and they’re both holding lightsabers. I would just love that.”

Season 7 of Once Upon a Time is expected to premiere in September.

[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]