Once Upon a Time has always been filled with uncertainty, especially for the characters. However, this time round the entirety of the fairy tale inspired series may be heading towards the Underworld as Season 7 might or might not be returning to ABC.
Jennifer Morrison, who plays Emma Swan, has announced that her contract and the rest of the original cast’s contracts are set to end in April 2017, which leads to OUAT being trapped in a no-mans-land.
“My contract ends in April on ‘Once Upon a Time’. I don’t know what that means. They haven’t picked up the show officially yet. They might, they might not. So we’re just kind of waiting now to see if the network decides to continue with the show and if they do continue with the show, if they are going to rework it to be something else or if they’re going to invite people to stay. So we’re kind of in a holding pattern right now. It’s really complicated.”
Rework the show, you say? That’s right, even if Once Upon a Time is renewed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the cast you all have grown to love will be making anymore appearances. A new narrative is set for season 7, meaning this show could be heading for it’s biggest reinvention yet… Spin-off anybody?
It isn’t unusual for original characters to leave and as we are approaching the sixth season, it’s bound to happen soon. Nina Dobrev left The Vampire Diaries after Season 6, so it’s not impossible for Jennifer to say goodbye to Emma. That being said, we couldn’t imagine the show without Emma Swan, she’s been an important role in the show’s success and a central figure to every storyline.
If OUAT possibly coming to an end hasn’t shocked you enough, it seems Emma Swan might not get the happy ending we all want for her. In Season 5, Emma had admitted that her dreams have been coming true and recently had a vision of the future, where she is presumably killed. In Season 6, Emma has been told there is no way of avoiding this one, therefore leaving her to slowly count down the time until her vision becomes reality. It seems that in order to move the series in a new direction, they just might have to kill off their lead. The good news in all of this tragedy is that if Jennifer’s contract was to be renewed, she will most definitely accept.
“I have a really fierce loyalty to the show. I am fiercely protective of the character. I feel like so many amazing things have come to my life because of it. It’s really made my life better in so many ways. I don’t have any interest in abandoning something that is such a special part of my life, but I also know I don’t have it in me to do it forever, so it’s more about a life decision, and I don’t even know how to make that life decision until I know what ABC even wants.”
Nothing is confirmed yet so don’t panic too much! Season 7 is still in the talks according to ABC entertainment producer, Channing Dungey, but she also makes it clear that the original story and the original characters will most likely be coming to an end in Season 6.
“Eddy and Adam came in and talked with me right before the holiday about what some of their potential ideas might be for Season 7. There was some interesting stuff, we gave them some feedback, and they are now working and are going to come back and sit with me in a couple of weeks. I think that, having had worked on Lost, they have a very good sense of the engagement with fans and wanting to end the story in the right way.”
After the meeting in a couple of weeks time, it will be then that they make the decision of whether there will be a Season 7. Regardless of what happens with 6B and Season 7, Dungery has said “there will be a little bit of closure in this particular narrative”. OUAT bosses Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis are looking at the potential seventh season as a springboard in a new direction, “which doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re not bringing cast back.” Well, good! What would the show be without it’s original cast!?
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