'Once upon a Time' cast news: Bosses reveal six actors to exit the show
After it was announced that Jennifer Morrison, who plays Emma Swan, and Rebecca Mader, who plays Zelena, were saying goodbye to "Once upon a Time," the series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis have revealed that there are going to be six characters who will be leaving the show as regulars.
The show has been renewed for season 7. "Once upon a Time" will continue with Lana Parrilla's Regina Mills, Robert Carlyle's Rumplestiltskin, and Colin O'Donoghue's Captain Hook, as well as the new additions who appeared during the two-hour season 6 finale, Alison Fernandez of "Jane the Virgin," who plays Lucy, and Andrew J. West of "The Walking Dead," who plays Henry Mills.
According to TV Line, this means that Ginny Goodwin, who plays Snow White; Josh Dallas, who plays Prince Charming; Jared Gilmore, who portrays the young Henry; and Emilie de Ravin, who plays Belle, will no longer be returning next season as series regulars. However, there is still a possibility for them to make an appearance in the future.
Horowitz and Kitsis expressed that these characters "will always be the beating heart of the show." Although the well-loved long-time cast members will not be present every week of the future seasons anymore, the creators said, "We fervently believe it won't be the last we see of them."
They also told Entertainment Weekly that the next season will not reset everything despite many characters leaving the show. "We're not designing this in a way where you say goodbye to everyone and never see them again," Horowitz expressed. "We've been telling a story for six years now for these characters and now we're trying to complete that story, but that doesn't mean they don't have other stories."
In other news, it has been revealed that ABC will be transferring "Once upon a Time" to another timeslot starting this fall. Instead of its regular Sunday schedule, the fairy tale drama's seventh season will be airing on Fridays at 8 p.m. EDT, filling the vacated slot of Tim Allen's "Last Man Standing," which has recently been cancelled by the network.