More additions from the Land of Untold Stories were announced during Once Upon a Time’s Comic-Con panel on Saturday. Deniz Akdeniz (Graceland) has been tapped to play Aladdin — who was described as “the savior” — while Oded Fehr (Covert Affairs) will play Jafar. (Lost’s Naveen Andrews previously portrayed Jafar on Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.) The duo joins the previously cast Giles Matthey as Morpheus and Craig Horner as the Count of Monte Cristo.
From the preview clip shown below, things aren’t looking so good for Aladdin. As Jafar says, “That’s why you never, ever hear these words about a savior: ‘They live happily ever after.’”
#OnceUponATime is entering a whole new world… Here's what we just revealed at #SDCC2016!https://t.co/L5ZMeem5Kh
— Once Upon A Time (@OnceABC) July 23, 2016
During the panel, the cast and executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz also shared some scoop on season 6. Here are the highlights:
Double Trouble: Just because Regina has separated herself from the Evil Queen doesn’t mean she’s lost her spark. “Regina is still sassy,” Lana Parrilla said. “She’s not going to lose her sass. I thought, ‘Is she just now this pure, light being?’ They said, ‘Well no, not really, because she’s still sassy.’ That’s Regina. She’s sarcastic. She’s not going to lose that. But the Evil Queen is slightly different than she used to be. She is now without a conscience, so she’s pure evil and a lot of fun. Regina is desperate to really be this hero and be happy internally. That’s really what she wants for herself. She has this beautiful family now. It’s going to be an interesting journey to see how the Evil Queen and Regina coexist.”
Bromance Ahead: We’re going to see much more of Charming (Josh Dallas) and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) this season. “There’s going to be some fun times to be had, it just depends on what your interpretation of fun is,” Kitsis said.
RumBelle: Even though Rumple (Robert Carlyle) isn’t the man he used to be in Belle’s (Emilie de Ravin) eyes, she’s still drawn to him for a very particular reason. “She’s acknowledging and realizing that part of that pull is him being a bad guy,” de Ravin said. “She likes that. Even though deep down she sees the good in him… but that darkness, she likes that. She’s struggling with that quite a bit.”
Wedding Bells: When Hook returned in the finale, he appeared framed with Emma and a wedding dress. But that doesn’t mean fans should expect wedding bells to be ringing this season. “It’s on the set, it’s always been there,” O’Donoghue said.
The Author’s New Role: With the Land of Untold Stories now in Storybrooke, Henry (Jared Gilmore) will be very busy this season. “I am a hero now,” Gilmore said. “My way of helping people is being able to give them their stories and help them figure things out. Henry has found his place. He believes that now he is a part of the heroes. He loves it.”
Robin’s Return: Even though Zeus was able to bring Hook back to life, it likely won’t happen again. “That was a one-time only Zeus interference,” Kitsis said, insinuating that the same won’t happen for Robin Hood (Sean Maguire). But, “Everything that was said about the Olympian Crystal was said by Hades, can we trust him?” Horowitz said. “That’s a question some of our characters should and will ask.” Maybe there’s hope yet!
The Evil Queen’s Wrath: Though Regina and Emma’s friendship is strong, the Evil Queen does not currently feel the same way. “These women have grown so much over the years and they’ve become best friends,” Parrilla said. “They’re working together and I think Emma has really helped Regina get to this new place in her life. Emma has saved her many times and vice versa. I see them continuing down that path. The Evil Queen is another entity in itself.” Added Morrison: “It’s going to be complicated for Emma to navigate because she wants to believe in Regina and knows that good can win, but she also knows she needs to protect everyone she loves. It’s going to be complicated like it always is.”
Hook and Emma’s Love: Returning from the Underworld, “He’s pretty much the same Hook,” O’Donoghue said. “Now that they know it’s true love with Emma, they’re trying to figure out how to navigate being together. We might find out a few things about his past.” Added Horowitz: “There is more of Hook’s past that we delve into and some surprising secrets that have been harbored.”
Snow White’s Heart: It’s in danger again. “The Evil Queen, if we remember, the one thing she wanted most in the world is Snow White’s heart and that will not stop,” Kitsis said, noting that Regina and Snow have really become like family now. “We’re going to see very early on that relationship further,” he continued. “Regina is going to have a group of people to support her while her other half is going to be trying to kill everyone and cause a lot of mischief.”
