To say that "Once Upon a Time" is turning a new leaf is a big understatement; the fantasy show will have a major reboot and will tell a different story. These changes will bring in new characters, locations and even a new curse. But according to executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, the essence of the fairytale drama will still be there.
The upcoming seventh season will tell the story of Henry, who will now be played by Andrew J. West, after he leaves Storybrooke in search of his own adventure. He finds himself in the neighborhood of Hyperion Heights where he meets a different iteration of the fairytale characters he used to live with. Henry then gets trapped in a curse alongside these characters and must find a way to break it.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the showrunners discussed where they plan to take the all-new theme of "Once Upon a Time."
Kitsis said that they have been toying with the idea since season 4 and that they wanted to tell a different story so a reboot of the fairytales was in order.
Meanwhile, Horowitz talked about maintaining the essence of the show, saying, "The analogy could be 'Star Wars' in a sense, which is that you had these first couple of trilogies, they wrap, and now we're in a new adventure."
The showrunners also reiterated that despite all these changes, "Once Upon a Time" will still be same because the characters that the fans loved from six seasons ago will still be there as their anchor.
They also talked about the story's new location, Hyperion Heights. Horowitz explained that it will be in Seattle and fans will see the fairytale characters mixed in alongside non-magical folks. He added that it will be interesting to see how everyone interacts with one another and will have the audience trying to figure out who is a fairytale character and who is a mortal.
Horowitz and Kitsis also said that the curse on Hyperion Heights will be designed differently. While it will be known who the villain is, Horowitz revealed that her motivations may be unlike her Storybrooke counterpart and that will be another puzzle for the viewers.
"Once Upon a Time" returns on Friday, Oct 6 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
