Once Upon a Time - Episode 4.11 - Heroes and Villains - Press Release Winter Finale

“Heroes and Villains” – In the aftermath of the Snow Queen’s spell, our heroes try to pick up the pieces and Regina has to make a difficult choice. Hook’s fate hangs in the balance as Gold’s quest for power threatens everything he holds dear. And, in the Enchanted Forest flashback, an intrusion during Belle's stay at Rumplestiltskin's dark castle will wreak havoc in both the past and the future, on the winter finale of “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry, Michael Socha as Will Scarlet and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Guest stars include Beverley Elliott as Granny, Merrin Dungey as Ursula, Victoria Smurfit as Cruella De Vil, Sean Maguire as Robin Hood, Georgina Haig as Elsa, Elizabeth Lail as Anna, Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff, Raphael Alejandro as Roland, Christie Laing as Marian and Kristin Bauer as Maleficent.

”Heroes and Villains” was written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and directed by Ralph Hemecker.

Once Upon a Time 4x11 Promo Heroes and Villains Winter Finale 12-14-2014

Once Upon a Time - Episode 4.10 - Shattered Sight - Press Release

THE SNOW QUEEN’S SPELL OF SHATTERED SIGHT HAS DESCENDED UPON THE TOWN, CAN EMMA AND ELSA DESTROY THE CURSE BEFORE STORYBROOKE DESTROYS ITSELF?, ON ABC’S “ONCE UPON A TIME”

Elizabeth Mitchell (“Lost”) Guest Stars as the Snow Queen

“Shattered Sight” – Storybrooke is in a state of chaos with all the residents under the Snow Queen’s Spell of Shattered Sight at each other’s throats. Emma and Elsa race against the clock to free themselves of the ribbons and take down the Snow Queen and her curse. David can only watch when Regina clashes with Mary Margaret in an epic battle. Meanwhile, Gold gathers Belle and Henry as he prepares to leave town forever, and Will Scarlet looks to square his tab with Hook. Kristoff’s thick-headedness leads Anna to a heartwarming discovery, on “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry, Michael Socha as Will Scarlet and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Guest stars include Lee Arenberg as Leroy/Grumpy, Beverley Elliott as Granny, Georgina Haig as Elsa, Elizabeth Lail as Anna, Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff, David-Paul Grove as Doc, Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark/Sneezy, Faustino Di Bauda as Walter/Sleepy, Jeffrey Kaiser as Dopey, Michael Coleman as Happy, Mig Macario as Bashful, Rebecca Wisocky as Madame Faustina, Ilias Webb as Kevin, Abby Ross as Young Emma and Elizabeth Mitchell as the Snow Queen.

“Shattered Sight” was written by Scott Nimerfro and Tze Chun, and directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton.
12-7-2014

Once Upon a Time 4x10 Promo Shattered Sight

Once Upon a Time - Episode 4.13 - Title Revealed

Once Upon a Time - Episode 4.09 - Fall - Press Release

"Fall" - As the Spell of Shattered Sight approaches Storybrooke, Mary Margaret and David rally the residents to prepare for the curse while Belle and the fairies work together on an antidote. Gold, with Hook as his reluctant servant, sets about an exit strategy of his own. Regina and Robin Hood ready themselves for the worst while, with the help of a locator spell, Emma and Elsa search desperately for Anna. In Arendelle, Anna and Kristoff awaken to find that their kingdom is once again in danger, on "Once Upon a Time," SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

"Once Upon a Time" stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O'Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry, Michael Socha as Will Scarlet and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Guest stars include Lee Arenberg as Leroy/Grumpy, Keegan Connor Tracy as Mother Superior/Blue Fairy, Sean Maguire as Robin Hood, Georgina Haig as Elsa, Elizabeth Lail as Anna, Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff, Charles Mesure as Black Beard, Raphael Alejandro as Roland, Tyler Jacob Moore as Hans, Nils Hognestad as Franz, Marcus Rosner as Jurgen and Elizabeth Mitchell as the Snow Queen.

"Fall" was written by Jane Espenson and directed by Mario Van Peebles.

Once Upon a Time 4x09 - Fall Promo

4x08 - Smash the Mirror 2 Hour Special promo

4x07 - The Snow Queen Promo

Once Upon A Time - Episode 4.06 - Family Business - Official Synopsis

ONCE UPON A TIME - "Family Business" - The race is on to track down the elusive Snow Queen, who was once a foster mother to a young Emma - whose memories of this event have been erased - in order to discover what her ultimate end game is for Elsa and the residents of Storybrooke, and unaware that she does not possess the real blade that controls The Dark One, Belle attempts to use it to get her reluctant husband to show her where the Snow Queen is hiding. Meanwhile, back in the past, Belle travels to Arendelle and, with Anna's help, seeks out Grand Pabbie to help her regain her lost memories in order to discover the fate of her mother, on "Once Upon a Time," SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Once Upon a Time 4x06 Family Business Promo

Once Upon A Time - Episode 4.08 - Smash the Mirror - Press Release *Updated Extended Version*

EMMA’S POWERS RUN AMOK AND SHE TURNS TO GOLD FOR HELP, ELSA AND ANNA’S RELATIONSHIP IS TESTED AND THE SNOW QUEEN’S AGENDA IS REVEALED IN A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR “ONCE UPON A TIME” STARTING AT 8:00 PM, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 ON ABC

Elizabeth Mitchell (“Lost”) Guest Stars as the Snow Queen
Smash the Mirror” – In Arendelle, when the Snow Queen tries to pit Elsa and Anna against each other and it proves more difficult than she anticipates, she takes drastic measures. Meanwhile, in Storybrooke Emma’s powers are out of control and her fear of hurting loved ones pushes her away from everyone she cares about. In her confusion, Emma turns to Gold for help getting her powers under control. Gold tells her about a way to get rid of her powers altogether and Hook tries to put a stop to it. Meanwhile, Regina struggles with her plan to find the author of the storybook until her quest takes an unexpected turn. Robin Hood recruits Will Scarlet to assist him on a mission and Mary Margaret and David search for Emma in this special, two-hour “Once Upon a Time” airing SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 (8:00--10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.


“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry, Michael Socha as Will Scarlet and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Guest stars include Georgina Haig as Elsa, Elizabeth Lail as Anna, Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff, Timothy Webber as Apprentice, Raf Rogers as Arendelle Servant, Lee Page as Arendelle Guard #1, Patrick Roccas as Arendelle Guard #2 and Elizabeth Mitchell as Ingrid/Snow Queen.

“Smash the Mirror” is written by David H. Goodman and Jerome Schwartz and directed by Eagle Egillson and Ralph Hemecker.

Once Upon A Time - Episode 4.08 - Smash The Mirror - Will air an hour earlier and run two hours

 

Adam Horowitz @AdamHorowitzLA

To clarify this extra hour of #OnceUponATime is in ADDITION to the 22 eps we already had planned. So winter finale remains set for 12/14

Adam Horowitz @AdamHorowitzLA  ·  4h 4 hours ago

Excited to tell ya ep 408 on 11/16 of #OnceUponATime is being expanded to TWO hours. Set to air an hour earlier from 7/6c til 9/8c on ABC

Adam Horowitz @AdamHorowitzLA  ·  3h 3 hours ago

To be clear -- the 11/16 ep of #OnceUponATime that starts early is NOT a recap/clip show. It's two entire hours of episode. #ExtraOnce!

Once Upon a Time - Episode 4.08 - 4.11 - Titles Revealed

It seems that 4.08A/B will be a 2*1hr episodes

We have some new Episode Titles for you today.

Episode 4.08A/B now is called "Smash the Mirror Part 1" / "Smash the Mirror Part 2"
Episode 4.09 is called "Fall"
Episode 4.10 is called "Shattered Sight"
Episode 4.11 is called "Heroes and Villains"

Once Upon a Time 4x05 - Breaking Glass Promo

Once Upon A Time - Episode 4.05 - Breaking Glass - Press Release

"Breaking Glass" - Regina reluctantly teams up with Emma to search for the Snow Queen after Sidney, who is once again Regina's prisoner in the mirror, discovers her whereabouts and agrees to lead her to the location. With Belle babysitting baby Neal, a nervous Mary Margaret and David prepare for their first date night away from their child and find themselves on a mission to track down Will Scarlet, who has escaped from the town jail, and Elsa sees Anna in the Storybrooke woods. Meanwhile, back in the past, young Emma finds herself a kindred spirit when she befriends a girl who, like her, is a runaway orphan, on "Once Upon a Time," SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

"Once Upon a Time" stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O'Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry, Michael Socha as Will Scarlet and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Guest starring are Giancarlo Esposito as Sidney/Magic Mirror, Georgina Haig as Elsa, Elizabeth Lail as Anna, Oliver Rice as King Arendelle, Pascale Hutton as Queen Arendelle, Nicole Munoz as Lily, Barclay Hope as Lily's father, Kelly-Ruth Mercier as manager, Anson Hibbert as policeman, Ilias Webb as Kevin, Abby Ross as young Emma and Elizabeth Mitchell as Snow Queen.

"Breaking Glass" was written by Kalinda Vazquez & Scott Nimerfro and directed by Alrick Riley.

4x04 - The Apprentice Promo

Once Upon a Time - Episode 4.04 - The Apprentice - Press Release

"The Apprentice” – After Emma asks Hook out on a real first date, Hook visits Mr. Gold and asks for his hand to be reattached so that he can embrace her with both hands. But magic always comes with a price. Henry and Mary Margaret try to offer hope to Regina when she becomes frustrated over not being able to find a cure to save a frozen Marian, and Will Scarlet attempts to break into the Storybrooke library to find a special book. Meanwhile, back in the Fairy Tale Land that was, Rumplestiltskin is after a magical box that the Sorcerer’s apprentice is guarding, and he may use Elsa’s sister Anna to help him get it, on “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry, Michael Socha as Will Scarlet and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Guest starring are Georgina Haig as Elsa, Elizabeth Lail as Anna, Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff, Timothy Webber as The Apprentice, Brad Dourif as Zoso, Catherine Bogdanova as spaghetti lady, Garry Garneau as spaghetti man, Emanuel Fappas as bartender and Elizabeth Mitchell as Snow Queen.

”The Apprentice” was written by Andrew Chambliss & Dana Horgan and directed by Ralph Hemecker.

Once Upon a Time 4x03 'Rocky Road' Promo

Once Upon a Time - Episode 4.03 - Rocky Road - Press Release

Rocky Road” – When an icy spell is cast on Marian, which will ultimately freeze her heart and kill her, the Storybrooke residents place the blame on Elsa. But unbeknownst to anyone, a mysterious woman who runs the town’s ice cream parlor has the same powers as Elsa and is trying to frame her. Emma and David find former Merry Men member Will Scarlet rummaging through Robin Hood’s tent, Regina teams up with Henry to try and discover who the author of the fairy tale book is, Mary Margaret is having trouble balancing her duties as leader of Storybrooke and mother to young Prince Neal, and Hook begins to suspect that Mr. Gold is still in control of the dagger that calls upon him to be the Dark One. Meanwhile, in Arendelle of the past, Elsa and Kristoff set off to stop Hans from attempting to take control of the kingdom, on “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry, Michael Socha as Will Scarlet and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Guest starring are Lee Arenberg as Leroy/Grumpy, Raphael Sbarge as Archie Hopper/Jiminy Cricket, Beverley Elliott as Granny, Sean Maguire as Robin Hood, Georgina Haig as Elsa, Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff, Raphael Alejandro as Roland, Christie Laing as Maid Marian, Charles Raahul Singh as General, Tyler Jacob Moore as Hans, Nils Hognestad as Franz, Marcus Rosner as Jurgen and Elizabeth Mitchell as Snow Queen.

”Rocky Road” was written by David H. Goodman & Jerome Schwartz and directed by Morgan Beggs.

Once Upon A Time 4x02 - White Out Promo

Once Upon a Time - Episode 4.02 - White Out - Press Release

“White Out” – While desperately trying to find her sister Anna, Elsa is startled by Emma and accidentally traps them both inside an ice cave, with the frozen temperature placing Emma's life in peril. Regina, depressed over her likely breakup with Robin Hood, secludes herself away from the town and Henry, which saddens her son. And with the townspeople considering Mary Margaret their leader, she faces her first leadership task in trying to re-start a generator and restore the town’s electricity after Elsa freezes and damages the power lines. Meanwhile, in the Enchanted Forest of the past, Anna tries to teach a meek David to fight Bo Peep, a brutal warlord who is threatening to take his and his mother's farm away if they don’t pay her price, on “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry, Michael Socha as Will Scarlet and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Guest starring are Lee Arenberg as Leroy/Grumpy, Beverley Elliott as Granny, Michael Coleman as Happy, Georgina Haig as Elsa, Elizabeth Lail as Anna, Robin Weigert as Bo Peep, Gabrielle Rose as Ruth and Sean Owen Roberts as ruffian.

”White Out” was written by Jane Espenson and directed by Ron Underwood.

ONCE UPON A TIME Post-Mortem: Eddy Kitsis Teases What’s to Come

FROZEN came to ONCE UPON A TIME in the season 4 premiere, and while Elsa didn’t fare too well in Storybrooke, the premiere offered up some fun teases about what’s in store this season. I spoke with ONCE UPON A TIME co-creator Eddy Kitsis about the path to meeting the author behind the fairytale book, Regina’s set-back, and more…

There’s a fantastic tease that Regina is going to find the author of the fairytale book. How will that play out this season, and will that be an answer we get sooner versus later?
Edward Kitsis: That one’s a bigger arc. Some seeds that were planted will be dealt with right away, and others will take a longer journey. The end result is you will find out who wrote the book.

Is the author someone we’ve seen before?
EK: You’ll have to wait and see.

So far, with the exception of Elsa, the FROZEN characters are contained to the flashbacks. Will we see any of them pop up in Storybrooke?
EK: The flashbacks are a journey to find Anna, and where that takes them is what the first 11 [episodes] is about.

Elsa caused a bit of destruction, but didn’t really interact with our characters. Who will she first come into contact with in a meaningful way?
EK: It’s going to be Emma.

Did that dynamic play out the way you thought it might when you first anticipated bringing these characters together?
EK: It did. It definitely — I think we thought Elsa and Emma had a lot in common.

There was a great BEAUTY AND THE BEAST homage in the premiere. What can you say about the decision to give them that dance during their honeymoon?
EK: We realized we had never seen them dance, so what would they do on their honeymoon? They’re going to dance. And that scene, it just felt — it was a scene that everyone wanted, and we finally got to it at the right moment.

Rumple and Belle may be newlyweds, but he’s keeping a number of secrets from her. What can you tease about what’s ahead?
EK: It’s going to play out complicated…Hopefully in a way that fans won’t expect.

What can you say about the balance the writers are trying to strike with Regina? On one hand, she’s the Evil Queen, but at the same time, there has been a significant amount of growth over the past few seasons…
EK: It’s hard. I think who she is as a person always remains. But what it is, is she’s growing. My favorite moment of the premiere was when [Marian] said, “I guess you’re really not a monster.” And Regina goes, “I guess I’m not.” It’s a surprise to herself. That’s what I love about Regina: she surprises us. But at the same time, she’s a queen, and she’s used to getting her way. And she’s used to playing hardball. So that’s the balance. She may stick Sidney in the mirror, but she gets what she wants.

Emma and Regina had a really beautiful scene near the end of the premiere –
EK: The FROZEN shot!

What can you say about where that dynamic is going this season, especially as Emma is feeling guilty for her role in breaking up Regina and Robin?
EK: We’re going to — their dynamic started with Regina trying to get her out of town, and hating each other. And they’ve obviously grown. And with Marian [in town], we’re going to explore how Regina is going to recover from a broken heart. And we’re going to flash back to Emma’s childhood, to young Emma.

Emma and Hook haven’t really defined what’s going on with their relationship. Do you prefer to keep it that way, or will that change?
EK: I think we just wanted it to be real. Emma, it’s very hard to break her walls. And yeah, they had the kiss in the finale, but why she’s holding back gets revealed.

As Snow and Charming deal with their new baby, will that be their main focus for the earlier episodes? Or will there be some outside trouble?
EK: Episode two is a very big Charming episode. About his life before Snow.

ONCE UPON A TIME airs Sundays at 8 PM on ABC.

Ahead of the Sept. 28 return, Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis help THR break down the new season

Winter is coming early on Once Upon a Time.
ABC's fairy-tale drama heads into its fourth season with a chilly 11-episode arc that introduces the beloved characters from Disney's Oscar-winning (and buzzy) animated blockbuster Frozen such as Elsa (Georgina Haig), Anna (Elizabeth Lail) and Kristoff (Scott Michael Foster) into the Once universe. It's a decision co-creators and executive producers Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis hope pays dividends. 

"There’s always pressure when you’re making a show to try to outdo yourself, and I think in this case, there’s a huge amount of — not just pressure, but responsibility that we feel," Horowitz tells The Hollywood Reporter. "These are beloved characters who we want to do justice and we’re doing our best and we’re very excited about what we’ve come up with."

 
Ahead of the Sept. 28 return, Horowitz and Kitsis talked to THR about the pressures of folding in the Frozen universe in an organic way, the aftermath of Elsa's unexpected Storybrooke debut, the future of Emma and Captain Hook's romance and much more.

Can you clarify the timeline for the new season?
Adam Horowitz: Without giving the exact date, which we don't have in front of us, we are roughly in early 2013 given that the show started in October of 2011. We’ve been more or less running in real time, including the year time jump. Because of that, the trailer for Frozen hasn't even premiered so in the world of our show, none of the present-day Storybooke characters are aware of the Frozen mythology and universe.

Has that been a tricky tightrope to walk in terms of the audience’s knowledge versus the characters’ lack thereof?
Eddy Kitsis: Hopefully you're watching for the story. When I watch True Detective, I’m not like, "Wait, is this Thursday?" Hopefully the audience isn’t asking what date it is, because what we do is we pick up from where we ended last year, and the way we introduce the Frozen characters into the show is pretty organic. I think that the timeline isn’t really a question — what people will see is the story unfolding before them.
Horowitz: And yes, it is a slightly different approach in that starting with the pilot, everybody knew who Snow White was and that was part of Emma’s disconnect with being able to believe what was going on in Storybrooke, because she was so well aware. We're instead approaching these characters as though they are a real part of the universe that we’ve created. And while our real, old characters aren’t aware of them, they are, as you will see, connected into the Once universe — and that’s really where our hopeful twist comes. We’re not trying to change these characters or redefine them, because we love the movie so much and what they did with them. We’re instead trying to surprise the audience with how they become involved with our characters and our world.

So the events of the Frozen movie took place in fairy-tale land before 2013, since we see Elsa and Anna in Arendelle of the past preparing for Anna's wedding to Kristoff.
Horowitz: The way to think about it is, divorce yourself from time and space as you know it and think of the world of story occurring in a timeless place. What we’re not saying is that the events of the movie took place in November of 2013. What we’re saying is the movie came out and told the story that occurred in the land of our fairy-tale world. As far as the timeline goes, when we see Elsa arrive at the end of season three, that is an Elsa who is post the events of Frozen. Going forward, the Elsa that we are seeing in Storybrooke is someone who experienced everything you saw in that movie and is hopefully that character who is now facing a new challenge and involved in a new mystery that we intend to explain in the first episode.

The show is known for putting its own twist on iconic fairy-tale characters. Should we expect the same treatment for the Frozen gang?
Kitsis: There are times we take liberties as we’ve done with Peter Pan and other characters, but Frozen we really feel like they are so well-defined and we were so inspired by what we saw up on the screen last November, that we don't want to change those characters. It’s much more about Anna — what we love about her is that she’s fearless and she never gives up on the people she loves. She has no problem going off into the middle of the storm to find her sister. What happens when a true believer like that gets in front of the devil himself, Rumpelstiltskin, who sees the worst in everyone? What happens with these two kinds of characters? In fact, what happens when Elsa, who is somebody who wanted to run away, meets another character who loves to run away, Emma? It was really about keeping the characters exactly who they were in the movie but seeing how they would interact with other characters on Once Upon a Time and telling a new story.

Love, whether it be of the romantic kind or family, is a big part of Once's DNA. In the film, Elsa did not have a love interest, unlike Anna. What's the likelihood Elsa will have one here?
Kitsis: She will not. And even though we showed a clip at Comic-Con that showed that Anna was engaged to Kristoff, we can tell you that what we really responded to in Frozen was that it was about these two sisters. Our season one ended with true love’s kiss breaking between a mom and a son, and for us we’re really excited about the idea of the sisters and that story much more than Elsa finding a boyfriend.

How complicated will things get between Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Prince Hans on Once? 
Horowitz: The relationships between all those characters — Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Hans — we’re picking up where they were left off in the movie, so there is a complexity and conflict there. But at the core of it, the story we're trying to tell with the Frozen characters is a story about sisters, and that’s something we want to bring to our show.

How are you ensuring that the non-Frozen characters continue to get screen time while you mine this new world?
Horowitz: What we’re trying to do is not make the show just the Frozen show. We want to tell this Frozen story, but as you’ll see, their story is going to relate to our core characters from Once Upon a Time.
Kitsis: It was very important that it still [feels like it's] Once Upon a Time. It’s not the Frozen sequel; it is the characters from Frozen coming to Once Upon a Time. So important stories like Rumpel and Belle, Hook and Emma, Regina and Robin Hood, Snow White and Charming and their baby — all those stories that we left last season are still very central to the storytelling of season four and will be explored further. Once fans can relax — we have no intentions of sidelining those stories for Frozen.

Can we expect nods to Frozen songs, like “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” and “Let It Go”?
Horowitz: Oh, for sure! We are huge, massive fans of that movie and we can’t help ourselves. There are nods to many things from that movie.
Kitsis: As we say, this is the most expensive fan fiction ever.

How would you describe Elsa’s entrance into Storybrooke? Chilly at best?
Kitsis: I think she’s a stranger in a strange land. Elsa is from Arendelle, and she’s never seen a car before. We know that when Elsa gets frightened, ice spikes appear — so imagine when she sees this world for the first time.
Horowitz: It’s sunny in Storybrooke, but she’s bringing a cold front. It is this mash-up of two worlds. She’s never been to our world and she’s never experienced what it’s like here, and our world has never experienced anyone quite like her before.

Now you have two queens in Storybrooke. Will one of the main conflicts this season be Regina and Elsa battling for power?
Horowitz: It’s not that it’s jockeying for power, it’s more about …
Kitsis: There’s a mystery.
Horowitz: And it’s hard to answer your question without spoiling, but I’ll try. When Elsa arrives, it signifies the start of a mystery that needs to be explored and answered. And the repercussions of that mystery reach out and touch everyone, and you’ll see it affects everyone from Regina to Emma to Rumpelstiltskin.

At Comic-Con, a scene from the season-four premiere showed Regina recruiting an old friend, The Mirror, to help her get rid of Elsa. So who’s the biggest threat to Regina, Marian or Elsa?
Kitsis: The bigger threat in her mind is definitely Marian. We’ve shown three seasons of growth for the Evil Queen, and now she’s really faced with her first emotional setback, which is she thought she had her happy ending. And when you go back and look at the finale last year, you see her and Robin Hood coming to that party. For the very first time on the show, [Marian] really looked happy, and that’s been taken away. So for us, it's a now what? The old Regina would immediately rip everyone’s heart out. Will this Regina revert to heart wrecking, or will she evolve? And we’re going to find that out quickly in the premiere. But Regina is also going to be launched on a new quest with Henry this year. We’ve seen Henry in Operation Cobra with Emma, but we’re going to see a new one with Regina that we’re very excited about. And this is actually one that will transcend, although the first 11 will be Frozen, this is an arc that will go the whole season.

In the finale, Emma and Captain Hook seemed to be taking their relationship to the next level. Is season four their attempt at being a “normal” couple?
Horowitz: There’s no chance that Emma — the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming — and Captain Hook will ever be a normal couple, but their feelings obviously reached a new boiling point at the end of last season. And we’re going to continue to explore those feelings, and we’re going to continue to explore how they can or can’t get closer.
Kitsis: But in a real way. Emma has had a lifetime of putting up walls, so one kiss does not mean love and [let's] go register at Pottery Barn. As for Hook, we’re going to see some old rivalries. We can’t forget that as much as he loves Emma and has done the right thing for her, we’ve seen him do horrible things in the past because he’s a pirate. He and Rumpelstiltskin unfortunately are going to find their detente coming to an end.

How are Snow and Charming adapting to being parents to a newborn?
Horowitz: That’s also something we’re interested in exploring and showing. Being parents is a challenge and we want to, in a real way, show that. But it’s for them this strange thing of they’ve been parents before but they’ve never been parents at this stage. The last time they had a baby they put her in a wardrobe, and I think that’s going to affect everything, from how they parent baby Neal to how Emma reacts to their parenting and how they interact with Emma. It’s hopefully an interesting, new dynamic for all of them.

How deep in the doghouse will Rumpelstiltskin be with Belle when she finds out the truth?
Horowitz: I would not want to be him when she does.

How will Michael Socha's Will Scarlet/Knave of Hearts be incorporated into the Once world?
Kitsis: We’re going to get a little taste of Michael in the first 11 [episodes] — glimpses of him. But Michael's character, as we remember, was a disgraced member of the Merry Men, and Robin Hood is very much alive living in Storybrooke. So we’re going to see them reunite. Obviously for people who watched [Once Upon a Time in] Wonderland, they are like, "Wait, he had his happy ending. He went off with the Red Queen." We are going to tell that story, what happened and what brought him back to Storybrooke. And that will probably be in the later half in the season, and it will be done in a way that if you’ve never seen Wonderland, we’re going to fill in the blanks. We’re also going to find out that he has an interesting connection to another character from the past, from season one of Storybrooke.
Horowitz: For those who never saw Wonderland, he gets his own introduction this season, and you’ll see how he’s folded into [the universe] …
Kitsis: But he’s at his core a thief and the sheriff, so they’ll meet in an interesting way.

Once Upon a Time premieres Sept. 28 on ABC.

TVline scoops: hook's past, a pompous prince, regina+Henry Spoiler

Is there anything you can tell us about Hook’s arc for this season of Once Upon a Time that we haven’t heard yet? Anything on his childhood/parents? –Ana
Series cocreator Adam Horowitz would only say that when it comes to the good (?) pirate, “There is more delving into his past to come” – though the burning question of whom he traded the Jolly Roger to, in the name of finding Emma, won’t be revealed until “somewhere down the road.”

Do you have any Once Upon a Time scoop that has nothing to do with any of the ‘ships? –Sara
Always! For Episode 7, the ABC series is casting the one-off role of a pompous prince who beneath his veneer of confidence-slash-arrogance is not much more than a coward ill-equipped to handle conflict.

Will Henry be there for Regina after what happened in the season finale on Once Upon a Time? Any story coming up for them in season 4? — Tales11
Henry may be the one thing that actually keeps Regina from slipping to the dark side again after Robin Hood’s long-dead wife, Marian, resurfaced in the present. “We’re going to see Henry on a mission with Regina this year,” executive producer Edward Kitsis says. “And maybe some of his light side will rub off on her.”

Once Upon A Time: A Magical New Season - ABC Promo

Once Upon a Time - Episode 4.01 - A Tale Of Two Sisters - Press Release

SEASON PREMIERE

A SCARED AND CONFUSED ELSA FROM ARENDELLE FINDS HERSELF IN STORYBROOKE AND CREATES A POWERFUL SNOW MONSTER FOR PROTECTION, REGINA WONDERS IF HER RELATIONSHIP WITH ROBIN HOOD HAS BEEN COMPLETELY QUASHED NOW THAT MARIAN’S BACK IN THE PICTURE, AND IN ARENDELLE OF THE PAST, ELSA’S SISTER ANNA WANTS TO COMPLETE THEIR PARENT’S FATEFUL JOURNEY AND DISCOVER IF THEIR QUEST MAY HAVE HELD THE SECRET TO CONTAINING ELSA’S OUT OF CONTROL ICE POWERS, ON THE SEASON PREMIERE OF ABC’S “ONCE UPON A TIME”

John Rhys-Davies (“The Lord of the Rings,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark”) Voices the Grand Pabbie

Giancarlo Esposito Guest Stars as Sidney/Magic Mirror

Master storytellers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (“Lost,” “Tron: Legacy”) invite everyone to join Emma Swan, Snow White, Prince Charming, The Evil Queen, Hook and all the other resident fairytale characters as they prepare to defend themselves against a magical force from the past that’s too unpredictable even for Rumplestiltskin – Elsa, the Ice Queen from Arendelle. And now that Emma has brought back Robin Hood’s wife, Marian, and possibly sparked the end of Regina’s relationship with him, will Regina return to her old, evil ways and do everything in her power to get even? And newlyweds Belle and Rumplestiltskin continue to be deeply in love with each other. But Rumple is hiding a secret from Belle -- one that, if found out, could destroy their happiness – he continues to be the master of the dagger that calls upon him to be the Dark One. Can Emma and Hook commit to one another, and can these two damaged people take their love to the next level? Mary Margaret and David have a new baby, Prince Neal, and are looking forward to raising him into a proud, brave and loving adult. But they are still sad that they were not able to do this with Emma, instead helping her escape the curse when she was first born and not meeting her again until she was 28 years old. Henry is very happy to have both of his mothers back in Storybrooke. But with biological mom Emma and paternal grandfather Rumplestiltskin’s blood running through his veins, he will be tested by both the light and the darkness. Finally, Will Scarlet (Michael Socha, “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland”), a former member of Robin Hood’s band of Merry Men, has traveled across many lands to make his way to Storybrooke. He finds himself intertwined in the goings-on in town for the first time as his mysterious past pushes him to an unknown future.

In the season premiere episode, “A Tale of Two Sisters,” a scared and confused Elsa finds herself in Storybrooke and, fearful of the intentions of its residents, creates a powerful snow monster for protection. With Robin Hood’s wife, Marian, back in the picture, Regina wonders if her “happily ever after” with the former thief has been completely quashed; while on their honeymoon, Mr. Gold finds an intriguing object that makes him question whether or not he should officially give Belle control over the dagger that makes him The Dark One, and Hook is dismayed to discover that Emma seems to be avoiding him while she tries to help comfort Regina after being the one responsible for bringing Marian back from the past and into Storybrooke. Meanwhile, in Arendelle of the past, as Elsa’s sister Anna’s wedding to Kristoff nears, Anna discovers that their parents – who died on-ship during a violent storm – were heading to a mysterious destination in a quest that may have held the secret to containing Elsa’s out of control Ice powers. And against Elsa’s wishes, Anna wants to finish their journey to find out what they were looking for, on “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry, Michael Socha as Will Scarlet and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Guest starring are Lee Arenberg as Leroy/Grumpy, Faustino Di Bauda as Walter/Sleepy, Giancarlo Esposito as Sidney/Magic Mirror, Sean Maguire as Robin Hood, Georgina Haig as Elsa, Elizabeth Lail as Anna, Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff, Oliver Rice as noble man, Pascale Hutton as regal woman, Raphael Alejandro as Roland, Jason Burkart as Little John, Christie Laing as Maid Marian and John Rhys-Davies as Grand Pabbie.

”A Tale of Two Sisters” was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz and directed by Ralph Hemecker

Once Upon a Time Season 4 NEW PROMO

Season 4 Promo Teaser

Season 4x06 Title

'True Blood' star Kristin Bauer van Straten returning to 'Once Upon a Time' for major arc

Kristin Bauer van Straten has booked a return trip to Once Upon a Time.

EW has learned exclusively that the True Blood alum will reprise her dastardly role as villain Maleficent during the second half of Once’s upcoming season.

Could this mean that Maleficent will be season 4’s other big villain after the Frozen storyline? It’s unclear as of now, but Bauer will be back as a recurring guest star for a big arc, so here’s hoping this means the show will dive more into her past, as well as Aurora’s history.

The last we saw of Maleficent, she was locked away in a cave under the clock tower, stuck in dragon form until she was slain by Emma in the season 1 finale. She then came back in nightmarish zombie form at the end of season 2.

Once Upon a Time returns Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC

'Once Upon a Time' casting for Belle's mom

Once Upon a Time is going to give us some dirt on Belle’s past next season.

 

“We are going to meet Belle’s mother,” executive producer Adam Horowitz tells EW. “For the first time, we’ll delve into Belle’s past pre-the encounter with Rumple.”

That means as we learn Belle’s history before meeting new hubby Rumplestiltskin, we’re finally going to find out who Sir Maurice was married to.

Who should play Belle’s mom in the upcoming fourth season of the ABC fairy tale drama? Lucy Lawless is our dream choice, though she hasn’t actually been cast. The Xena alum looks similar enough to Emilie de Ravin, and she’ll be guest-starring on another ABC drama this fall when she appears as Isabelle Hartley on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. If not Lawless, who do you think should play Belle’s mother?
 

Once Upon a Time returns Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET on AB

Returning Fall Shows: Where We Left Off

Once Upon a Time (ABC)
Premieres: Sunday, Sept. at 8/7c

Where We Left Off: After going back in time to see her parents Snow White and Prince Charming meet and fall in love, Emma realized that Storybrooke was where she and Henry truly belong. But the time portal they used to return to town brought along two familiar faces: Frozen's Elsa, who was locked up in Rumple's vault, and the long-dead Maid Marion, whose arrival will surely mess up Robin Hood and Regina's future.
 
What's Next: Elsa won't be the only Frozen character coming to Once. We'll also meet Anna and Kristoff, whose wedding is upon us, as well as Pabbie and Hans. Elsewhere in Storybrooke, Emma will be dealing with having a stable relationship for once, Belle may uncover the truth about Rumple changing the dagger, Regina will set her sights on destroying those standing in the way of her happy ending with the help of Sidney (Giancarlo Esposito), Henry will go into the family business working with Mr. Gold at the pawn shop, and Snow and Charming will be figuring out parenthood.

Once Upon A Time - Episode 4.04 - Title Revealed

Once Upon a Time - Season 4 - Extended Synopsis

Master storytellers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz ("Lost," "Tron: Legacy") invite everyone to join Emma Swan, Snow White, Prince Charming, The Evil Queen, Hook and all the other resident fairytale characters as they prepare to defend themselves against a magical force from the past that's too unpredictable even for Rumplestiltskin - Elsa, the Ice Queen from Arendelle.

Welcome to Storybrooke, Maine, a small town that probably won't show up on your GPS, but it's a magical place to visit. Reality and myth merged after Emma broke Regina's curse, which had deprived the fairy tale characters of their memories and trapped them in our modern world. When they finally regained their identities, our heroes were dismayed to discover that they weren't transported back to Fairy Tale Land. To make matters worse, Rumplestiltskin - aka Mr. Gold - decided to escalate his power struggle with Regina by introducing magic into the town. But this is our world, and magic always has a tendency to yield unfathomable consequences.

After defeating Zelena - the Wicked Witch of the West - Emma and Hook were pulled into her time portal, which brought them back to the Enchanted Forest of the past. When they accidentally thwarted the initial meeting of Snow White and Prince Charming, Emma and Hook had to find a way to fix the timeline and get them together, or risk altering their futures and possibly obliterating Emma and Henry's existence; not an easy task to undertake. When Emma was captured by The Evil Queen, she met a female prisoner scheduled to be executed. Upon finding a way to escape, Emma saved the prisoner's life by taking her along. But Hook believed the woman's fate was to die and feared that things could be altered by her continued existence. After successfully getting her parents back on track, Emma, Hook and the prisoner found themselves captured by Rumplestiltskin and imprisoned in a room that contained his most unpredictable magic. With no way to escape, Emma discovered that her own magic had returned, and she was able to whisk herself, Hook and the prisoner back to present day Storybrooke. Upon their joyous return, Emma learned that the prisoner was none other than Robin Hood's wife, Marian, who was presumed dead in the previous timeline. Regina and Robin Hood had begun to fall madly in love with one another, but with Marian's return, their relationship could be in danger. And, unbeknownst to anyone, Emma and Hook also brought back Elsa.

You never give up on the people you love...

The Storybrooke residents do not know what Elsa has in store for them. Back in the past, in Elsa's kingdom of Arendelle, we will discover what happened to her, her sister Anna and Kristoff, and how and why Elsa became a prisoner of Rumplestiltskin. And now that Emma has brought back Robin Hood's wife, Marian, and possibly sparked the end of Regina's relationship with him, will she return to her old, evil ways and do everything in her power to get even? And newlyweds Belle and Rumplestiltskin continue to be deeply in love with each other. But Rumple is hiding a secret from Belle -- one that, if found out, could destroy their happiness - he continues to be the master of the dagger that calls upon him to be the Dark One. Can Emma and Hook commit to one another, and can these two damaged people take their love to the next level? Mary Margaret and David have a new baby, Prince Neal, and are looking forward to raising him into a proud, brave and loving adult. But they are still sad that they were not able to do this with Emma, instead helping her escape the curse when she was first born and not meeting her again until she was 28 years old. Henry is very happy to have both of his mothers back in Storybrooke. But with biological mom Emma and paternal grandfather Rumplestiltskin's blood running through his veins, he will be tested by both the light and the darkness. Finally, Will Scarlet (Michael Socha, "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland"), a former member of Robin Hood's band of Merry Men, has traveled across many lands to make his way to Storybrooke. He finds himself intertwined in the goings-on in town for the first time as his mysterious past pushes him to an unknown future.

As the season continues, new fairy tale characters will be revealed and old acquaintances will be revisited. But not everyone can be trusted.

(New Information in bold)

Once Upon a Time - Episode 4.03 - Title Revealed

 

Adam Horowitz        ✔ @AdamHorowitzLA

Here's another #OnceUponATime #titlespoiler. Hope to see ya this fall.  

Once Upon a Time Stars Preview 'Passion,' a 'Complicated' Triangle, Hook's New Look, Cool Frozen Twists

Things will be hot, lukewarm and decidedly cold when ABC’s Once Upon a Time uncorks Season 4 on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Chatting with Michael Ausiello in TVLine’s San Diego Comic-Con video suite, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, Colin O’Donoghue and Jared Gilmore fielded a flurry of burning questions, including whether an Evil rivalry has been reborn, now that Emma has lugged Robin Hood’s “dead” wife Marian to Storybrooke.

Emma, for her part, feels “guilty” about derailing Regina’s nascent romance, Morrison says, while the general consensus about Robin’s dilemma is: “This poor guy!” (Apparently Sean Maguire has been pulling for a Big Love sort of scenario. As if Regina shares.)

Morrison and O’Donoghue then share the forecast for Emma and Hook (as well as the pirate’s imminent “makeover”), Dallas promises fresh drama ahead for the Charmings, and we ask Gilmore if Henry perhaps saw Frozen while living in NYC — seeing as Elsa, Anna and others from the animated blockbuster are blowing into town (…if they haven’t been living there already).

Press play above for the scoop on all that and more — including Jared’s reaction to who Elizabeth Mitchell is playing!

Once Upon a Time - Season 4 - First Look at Anna & Elsa

 
 Photos from the Once Upon a Time clip showed during Comic Con.
 

 

 

 TV After Dark @TVAfterDark

 First look at Anna and Elsa on #OnceUponATime! #OUAT #SDCC2014 #Frozen 

 

  

 

TV After Dark @TVAfterDark

I also love this shot from the premier - once again of Anna and Elsa! #Frozen #OUAT #SDCC2014 

 

 

TV After Dark @TVAfterDark

 The panel's over, but here's another teaser from the premier for you guys! #OUAT #SDCC2014 #Frozen

 

 

First Look at Frozen on Once Upon a Time: Find Out What Elsa and Anna Are Up to!

 

Ballroom 20 was hit with a cold front. And the audience loved it.

San Diego Comic-Con was taken over by Once Upon a Time's creators, Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, as well its its stars, on Saturday, where they dished on the upcoming fourth season of the ABC hit. Oh, and showed the first footage of Frozen's Elsa and Anna, played by Georgina Haig and Elizabeth Lail, on the show!

Unfortunately, the scene will not be released wide just yet (Sorry!), but we just so happened to be in the audience when the first look was screened (#notsuhumblebrag?) and we were totally fan-girling out with the rest of the crowd.

So what can fans expect to see from the Disney animated't hit fan-favorite sister duo? Warning, spoilers ahead!

In the scene, Elsa and Anna are visiting their parents' grave, where they place flowers down, and Elsa tells her sister, "Anna, they would be so proud of you."
She then says she has a surprise for her sister for her upcoming wedding. Yes, Anna and Kristoff are getting married!

Yet to make their OUAT debut as Frozen's beloved characters? Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff, and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell as either the Original Snow Queen or Elsa and Anna's believed-to-be-dead mother. Plus, the show is currently casting the role of Prince Hans, Anna's treacherous former love interest.

Another familiar face, albeit not from Frozen, fans will be seeing in season four is Michael Socha as the Knave of Hearts, the only character from the short-lived spinoff Once Upon a Time in Wonderland who will be joining OUAT this season. Socha wasn't in San Diego, but made a quick appearance when Ginnifer Goodwin called in via Skype from the set.

OUAT returns Sunday, Sept. 28 on ABC.

Once Upon A Time - Season 4 - Casting News - John Rhys-Davies cast

Adam Horowitz      

 We're thrilled to welcome John Rhys-Davies to the #OnceUponATime family as the voice of everyone's favorite rock troll -- Pabbie! #ThisFall!

Once Upon A Time - Season 4- Casting News - Tyler Jacob Moore cast as Hans

 

 He's ba-a-ack!
Once Upon a Time has cast its latest Frozen character: Shameless star Tyler Jacob Moore is set to play Prince Hans, E! News has exclusively learned.

We were the first to report that Hans, Anna's (Elizabeth Lail) treacherous former love, would be making the journey from the big screen to ABC's fantasy hit. And no, it doesn't seem likely that Hans has lost his mean streak as he's described as having a serious chip on his shoulder and a burning desire to be king.

Fans of the Oscar-winning Disney hit will remember that Hans tricked Anna into falling in love with him in an attempt to take over Arendelle. He was last seen imprisoned and on a ship heading back to the Southern Isles after being banished by Elsa, so it'll be interesting to see how he returns, given that OUAT is picking up the storyline after the events of the movie.

Prince Hans will make his OUAT debut in the third episode of the season and will appear on a recurring basis.

Moore, who has also appeared on Revenge and GCB, is just the latest actor tasked with taking on an iconic role from Frozen: Fringe's Georgina Haig is set to play Elsa, Greek's Scott Michael Foster is playing Kristoff, Anna's true love, and Lost star Elizabeth Mitchell is either playing the Original Snow Queen or Elsa and Anna's mother, who supposedly died in the beginning of the film.

A super-spoilery first look at OUAT's take on Frozen's fan-favorite sister duo was screened for fans at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. In the clip, it was revealed that (Spoiler alert!) Anna is planning her wedding to Kristoff, so here's hoping Hans' surprising return won't screw things up for the adorable pair.

OUAT returns Sunday, Sept. 28, on ABC.

Exclusive First Look: This Is Elsa on Once Upon a Time

 Get a glimpse at the Frozen ice queen's small-screen incarnation

When last season’s Once Upon a Time finale aired on ABC, it left fans with a burning — or, rather, freezing — question: was that woman in blue really Elsa, the snow queen of Frozen fame?

The answer, a resounding yes, came quickly. But another question took its place: who would play the live-action Elsa?

The casting of actress Georgina Haig, of Fringe, was announced earlier in July, and today TIME presents your exclusive official first look at the character in costume. Sparkly blue gown? Check. Long, blond braid? Check. Letting it go? We can only hope.

The next season of Once Upon a Time will premiere on Sept. 28, 2014.

Elsa in Storybrooke on set clip

The Frozen Invasion Continues! Once Upon a Time to Introduce Another Character

 

 And the Frozen invasion continues!

In addition to Elsa, Anna and Kristoff, Once Upon a Time is set to introduce yet another character from the Oscar-winning animated hit in season four, E! News has learned. But Frozen fans might not be too pleased to see this character again: It's Hans, the treacherous Prince of the Southern Isles who tricked Anna into falling in love with him in an attempt to take over Arendelle.

Yes, we already have our dream pick for the role: Zachary Levi, please return to our TV screen immediately, please and  thank you!

Voiced by Broadway actor Santino Fontana in the 2013 film, the character description for OUAT's Hans, which is a recurring role, says he's refined and well-spoken on the outside, but he has a serious chip on his shoulder and an even more serious mean streak. So it looks like Hans hasn't changed much as showrunners Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that OUAT's Frozen storyline will take place after the events in the movie, with Kitsis explaining, "simply because what happened in the film was so beautiful."

Taking on the role of Frozen's Ice Queen Elsa is Fringe star Georgina Haig, while newcomer Elizabeth Lail will play the role of Anna, Elsa's sister, and Greek veteran Scott Michael Foster is set to play Kristoff. Also factoring into the Frozen storyline on OUAT? Lost and Revolution fan fave Elizabeth Mitchell, who has been cast in top-secret role, but Kitsis and Horowitz told EW that she's either the original Snow Queen or Anna and Elsa's believed-to-be-dead mother.

The one Frozen character fans definitely won't be seeing in Storybrooke? Olaf. "It wouldn't fit, and it's so beautiful, his story in the movie," Horowitz explained. "The story we want to tell doesn't involve trying to expand upon that, nor do we think it should."

OUAT returns Sunday, Sept. 28 on ABC.

4x01 and 4x02 Names

 

 

 

Mirror Mirror on the wall

Giancarlo Esposito, Jennifer Morrison

Mirror, mirror on the wall, guess who's returning to Once Upon a Time this fall.

Giancarlo Esposito is set to reprise his role as Sidney Glass, otherwise known as the Magic Mirror, in the Season 4 premiere, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.

Details on the return of the intrepid Storybrooke reporter are being kept under wraps, though the last time viewers saw anything of Sidney Glass, it was on the nameplate of a locked door in the deep recesses of Storybrooke hospital.


The Season 4 premiere, fittingly titled "A Tale of Two Sisters," will also introduce Frozen characters Anna (Elizabeth Lail), Elsa (Georgina Haig) and Kristoff (Scott Michael Foster). Esposito's former Revolution co-star Elizabeth Mitchell was recently cast as a potential villain with ties to Anna and Elsa.

Once Upon a Time Casts Fringe Alum as Frozen's Ice Queen Elsa

We have seen Etta Bishop’s future, and it is very, very… cool.

TVLine has learned that ABC’s Once Upon a Time has cast Fringe alum Georgina Haig in the plum Season 4 role of Queen Elsa of Arendelle — aka the chillin’ quasi-villain of filmdom’s Frozen.

Previously, TVLine broke the news that newcomer Elizabeth Lail and Greek grad Scott Michael Foster have been cast in the arc’s other two roles, as Anna and her beau Kristoff.
In her Once incarnation, Elsa has long struggled to control her “chilling” powers, and once even — Frozen spoilers ahead! — unleashed upon her town an eternal winter. Ultimately, she realized that the key to keeping her powers in check is love — namely, her bond with younger sister Anna — and now she is aware of the threat she poses if she were to lose control of her magic again.

Previewing the show’s introduction of Elsa, which came about after negotiations with Disney brass and then was teased at the close of the Season 3 finale, Once cocreator Adam Horowitz told TVLine, “We are very well aware of how beloved [Frozen] is, so we’re very careful that we want to tell a story that is uniquely ours but also honors those characters that everyone fell in love with this past year.” Added Eddy Kitsis: “The thing we love about Elsa is she is perceived to be a villain but is clearly misunderstood, and that goes to the heart of our show.”

Matt's Inside Line: Scoop on Once

I’ve read two different Once Upon a Time articles (both quoting TVLine, by the way), one stating that Elsa will be in nine episodes and the other stating that Anna will be in nine episodes. I thought I read on your site that it would be Elsa. Could you please clarify? –MGM
Oh, the Internet. Just one big game of “Telephone,” isn’t it? Elsa will appear in about nine episodes, Anna is slated for six to eight, and Kristoff is in as many as six.

Is Once Upon a Time‘s Elsa going to be evil? Or can we assume she will follow the movie character? –Margie
See, that’s the question I had the second it was confirmed who exactly we saw there in the barn. So I asked the series creators if we’ll perhaps be seeing Elsa before — Frozen movie spoiler alert! — she and Anna happily reunited, back when she was in that epic snit. “Maybe yes, maybe no. It could be after,” Adam Horowitz hedged. “One can be in a snit for many reasons.”

Once Upon a Time Casts Two Frozen Characters for Season 4

Once Upon a Time‘s take on Frozen is taking shape, with the casting of two key roles for Season 4.

TVLine has learned exclusively that newcomer Elizabeth Lail will play Anna, Queen Elsa of Arendelle’s younger sister, while Greek grad Scott Michael Foster has landed the recurring role of Anna’s beau Kristoff.

Still remaining to be cast for the opening arc of the ABC drama’s Season 4 is Elsa herself.

Once‘s Anna is described as a fun-loving, fearless optimist who often gets herself into situations where she is in over her head, yet is able to triumph due to her resourcefulness and can-do spirit. She values her relationship with her sister Elsa above all else.

Kristoff meanwhile is a hearty, salt-of-the-earth ice cutter whose sometimes-gruff demeanor can hide his deep love for Anna and her sister Elsa. When we first meet him on Once, he is adjusting to life at the castle — including sleeping indoors for the first time in his life.

Once Upon a Time Creators Talk Regina's Blast from the Past, Confirm Season 4's Frozen Twist

ABC’s Once Upon a Time at the close of Sunday night’s two-hour Season 3 finale served up a chilling twist, when it was revealed that in the course of time-traveling to and from The Fairy Tale Land That Was, Emma and Hook brought back to Storybrooke an uninvited guest. TVLine invited series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis to clear the air on the new character’s identity as well as weigh in on the heartbreak they threw at Regina, in the form of a different blast from the past.

TVLINE | First things first: Who are we looking at there at the very end?
ADAM HOROWITZ | That is Elsa. We fell in love with the movie Frozen when we saw it, my daughters are obsessed as is Eddy’s son… It is something that ever since we saw it would gnaw at us, “Is there a way to fit it into our world?” And we cooked up a way to do it. We pitched the studio and the network and they were kind enough to say, “Go do it.”
EDDY KITSIS | What’s funny is that people think Disney called us up and was like, “You need to do Frozen,” and it’s really actually quite hard to get these characters. It’s not like they call you up and say, “We’d like you to do this.” It’s actually quite the opposite. You have to work at it and have a vision and the spirit.

TVLINE |  Right, for something as fresh in pop culture as this, it’d seem you have less leeway.
HOROWITZ | Look, we had an idea for how we wanted to approach this story, and we are very well aware of how beloved the movie is, so we’re very careful that we want to tell a story that is uniquely ours but also honors that movie and those characters that everyone fell in love with this past year.
KITSIS | The thing we  love about Elsa is she is a character that is perceived to be a villain but is clearly misunderstood, and that goes to the heart of our show.

TVLINE | Does she have a history with Rumple? He seemed a bit afraid of that chamber she was locked up inside.
KITSIS | It seems like they’ve crossed paths….

TVLINE | Is this role Maggie Grace’s or Elizabeth Mitchell’s to lose? 
HOROWITZ | We are so excited to dive into the process of casting. We literally delivered the final [cut] of the finale on Friday…
KITSIS | … and now we have two weeks off. When we come back we’ll start dealing with casting.

TVLINE | Moving on to Maid Marian: Obviously the Regina fans are none too happy this morning. To quote one, “Why did you go to the trouble of redeeming her only to crush her heart all over again?”
HOROWITZ | Heres the thing: What we feel like we’ve done with Regina over three years is grown the character. She has changed and evolved, and this doesn’t change that. What it does is it changes the way she reacts to this. That’s the drama for us — how does this “new” Regina deal with this kind of adversity? We’re throwing a challenge in her way. This is not about her suddenly becoming that character we met three years ago.
KITSIS | Also, there’s Emma’s side of this — does she feel any guilt? She saved someone’s life, but in a lot of ways crushed someone’s [life], just like her mom did. We’d like to play out the reality of all this.
HOROWITZ | [Regina and Emma] are in new place. That doesn’t just go out the window. If it did, what would have happened at the end of the finale is Regina’s eyes would have glared red, she would have conjured a fireball and Emma would be toast.
KITSIS | I disagree — she would have tried to do a heart-rip first, and when she couldn’t do that, then she would go to fireball.

TVLINE | Will you be playing a love triangle, or will Robin Hood up and bail on his new love?
HOROWITZ | We’ll just have to wait and see.

TVLINE | But Robin Hood did think Marian already was dead before Regina went to execute her, right?
HOROWITZ | To clear it up: In Season 2 we saw Marian ill, which is why Robin was trying to steal the wand from Rumple. And then she was cured, and she went on to give birth to Roland. In Season 3, Robin Hood talks about how he lost his wife — not from the illness but a whole separate thing. So something clearly happened that we’ll explore next season, where they were separated and she died — and he certainly didn’t think the Evil Queen killed her. There’s a story there to be told.

TVLINE | Can you confirm yet that Sean Maguire will be a series regular for Season 4?
HOROWITZ | What we can say is we certainly hope to have him back next season — as what [status of cast member] remains to be seen.

TVLINE | And then we have Emma and Hook, who outside of the Charmings are now Storybrooke’s most stable relationship!
HOROWITZ | Give ‘em time. [Laughs] They had a nice moment, but we’re not fast-forwarding to ordering in Chinese and watching movies.

TVLINE | Who in the writers room gets credit for “Princess Leia”?
KITSIS | Give credit to “the writers room of Once Upon a Time,” a room of Star Wars geeks staring at the life-size Boba Fett helmet in Adam’s office. So when she started to say, “Princess…,” the entire room went, “Leia!”

TVLINE | All told, how much fun was it Back to the Future-ing the Snow/Charming meet-up?
KITSIS | Whenever Adam and I are asked, “What’s the script you wished you wrote,” it’s always Back to the Future. We wanted to write [the double-episode finale] like a two-hour movie, so it was like, “Let’s go for it.” We knew that the theme for this second half was “There’s no place like home,” so we really wanted to thematically watch Emma see what it was all about. It’s probably the most fun we’ve had.

TVLINE | And one last bit of housekeeping: All of the friendlies who were turned by Zelena into flying monkeys were returned safely?
HOROWITZ | Yes. We saw Aurora smiling happily at the baby naming…. Grumpy explained that she did not give birth to a flying monkey. What happened with her was the pregnancy was put into stasis as she was monkey-fied. Now she’s back to where she was.