By Lorenzo Marchessi
PANEL REPORT #2:
The Once Upon a Time panel kicked it up a notch on Saturday morning at Comic-Con in San Diego with a refreshingly entertaining panel, filled with humor and a sneak peak at Season Two!
Never one to deny the fans the scoop, the producers of the ABC series brought a short video featuring Title Cards from season one as well as three new ones confirming new characters that will be dropping by the ABC fantasy drama in season two (which included Sleeping Beauty, to be played by Sarah Bolger; Jack and the Beanstalk; and Mulan, to be played by Jamie Chung) got the crowd really going.
Executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis introduced a “commercial” written by Jane Espenson for the dating service for the fictional town in the series Singlebrooke, and among one of the characters interviewed was the dearly departed Sheriff Graham/Huntsman (Jamie Dornan).
Besides the producers, the panel included the cast – the always clever and funny Ginnifer Goodwin (who plays the evil Witch), Jennifer Morrison (the mother caught between two worlds), Lana Parrilla (Snow White herself), Josh Dallas (Prince Charming himself), Emilie de Ravin (The Beast’s very own Belle) and Meghan Ory (Red Riding Hood herself).
Though production begins this week, Ginnifer Goodwin revealed that the viewer’s needn’t worry about where the story is going. “I never could have conceived of the brilliance that is the first couple of scripts,” she says. “As an audience member, it’s exactly what I would want to see or ever hope for.”
Some great facts the panel revealed included; Henry’s Father Will Be Revealed: “It might be Sneezy,” Kitsis joked. “In season two, you will find out the identity of Henry’s father.” That is a development that Jennifer Morrison, who plays Emma, already has knowledge of. “I know [who he is],” she revealed. “I think people will be very excited once they see it play out. … Obviously Emma knows who it is, I hope. [Laughs] It was something I needed to know for the back story [in order to play it out].”
Are the Worlds Melding Together?: The producers were coy (of course), but Kitisis offered this: “There was some bleed-through as if the two worlds were touching [in season one. That is something we will explore.” Kitisis also explained, “The show this year is not going to change from the show you loved last year,” Kitsis says. “We’re still going to go back and forth and we’re going to meet new people along the way.”
The producers were asked whether they would feature the following characters and this is what Kitsis and Horowitz answered; Little Mermaid: “I’d like to see it,” Aladdin: “Someday,” Winnie the Pooh: [Laughter], Goofy: “I think Goofy is probably going to be Henry’s father so … Emma did say she had a past …”
And what about Rumplestiltskin’s son Bay? “What happened to Bay is definitely one of the dangling threads of the season and we would be [really sad] if I had to wait more than a season to find out [what happened],” Kitsis teased.
At the close of the panel the producers showed an amazing clip – the first preview of the new season – show to this 3,500 seat Ballroom 20 audience, which not so subtly confirmed that Captain Hook will indeed by dropping by Storybrooke. The crowd roared with applause!
Fun cast and crew panel with an amazing laughter and chemistry that could be seen on stage and in the most original series on TV since Doctor Who!
Picture: Cast of Once Upon A Time – Lana Parrilla (Snow White herself), Josh Dallas (Prince Charming himself), Jennifer Morrison (the mother caught between two worlds), and Executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis