Christian Slater as Mr. Robot and Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson in ‘Mr. Robot’ (Photo by: Peter Kramer/USA Network)
Is anyone surprised USA Network renewed Mr. Robot for a third season? Probably not as the award-winning series has not only pulled in high ratings but has accomplished what many new dramas have been unable to do: Mr. Robot‘s delivering a compelling second season that has elevated the bar set by the show’s first season. Mr. Robot, which picked up six Emmy nominations for season one, is now airing season two on Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT. Season three will arrive in 2017.
Mr. Robot was created by writer/director/executive producer Sam Esmail. The cast includes Rami Malek, Portia Doubleday, Christian Slater, Carly Chaikin, Martin Wallstrom, Grace Gummer, Michael Cristofer, and Stephanie Corneliussen.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Mr. Robot, a series that has pushed boundaries, captured the cultural zeitgeist, and been honored as one of the best dramas on television,” stated Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “Midway through its second season, Mr. Robot continues to break new ground and open up new opportunities for the network. We can’t wait to see where Sam Esmail and the entire brilliant Robot team take us next.”
“Being the home studio for this wonderful, completely original show is an exhilarating experience. Sam and company just keep taking it to another level,” said Jeff Wachtel, Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment and President, Universal Cable Productions. “We can’t wait to get going on Season 3… as soon as we finish Season 2!”
The Plot:Mr. Robot follows Elliot Alderson (Malek), a cyber-security engineer who becomes involved in the underground hacker group fsociety, after being recruited by their leader (Slater). Following the events of fsociety’s five/nine hack on multi-national company Evil Corp, the second season explores the consequences of that attack as well as the illusion of control.
Paramount Pictures just released the full trailer for the sci-fi thriller, Arrival. Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Prisoners), the alien drama stars Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, and Michael Stuhlbarg. Paramount’s aiming for a November 11, 2016 theatrical release date for Arrival.
The Plot: When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team – lead by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) – are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers – and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.
Fox’s hit animated comedy series Bob’s Burgers will return on September 25, 2016 for its seventh season. The popular series was well represented at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con by voice cast members H. Jon Benjamin (Bob Belcher), John Roberts (Linda Belcher), Kristen Schaal (Louise Belcher), Eugene Mirman (Gene Belcher), Dan Mintz (Tina Belcher), and Larry Murphy (Uncle Teddy). Sitting down for roundtable interviews, Schaal, Mintz, and Murphy discussed favorite episodes, what their characters might be doing in 20 years, and why the series has such a passionate following.
Kristen Schaal, Dan Mintz, and Larry Murphy Interview:
Did you have anything as a kid you held on tightly to and didn’t want to let go the way Louise sticks with her bunny ears?
Kristen Schaal: “I definitely had a blankie that I had for a while. I think that might have been my main thing. No particular stuffed animal or clothing that I can recall.”
If your characters could age, where would they be as adults 20 years from now?
Dan Mintz: “Tina would be 33 so probably starting to think people are having families, so maybe she’d start to think about that. I actually just met an adult who is exactly like Louise. I think she’s like a child sociopath but she turned out very well.”
Kristen Schaal: “I think no matter what Louise puts her mind to she’ll accomplish it no matter what. So, it just depends on what dream she lands on.”
Dan Mintz: “Politics?”
Kristen Schaal: “Yeah, sometimes I think politics but then I wonder if she’d have the patience for it. Maybe. Maybe she’d be like the new Frank Underwood.”
If you couldn’t play your character, who in Bob’s Burgers would you like to play?
Kristen Schaal: “It would be fun to be Linda. She has so much fun and she’s so loose and she loves her wine. She loves her family and she sings. I think I could fit into that one.”
Dan Mintz: “Well I don’t have much range in my voice so I don’t think I could play anyone else, but if I could do other voices I’d play Bob.”
Larry Murphy: “I certainly relate to Bob the most.”
Tina is a feminist icon. How does it feel to be a feminist icon as a male?
Dan Mintz: “Yeah, it is novel. But still to be that character…it’s not how I pictured my life turning out so it’s exciting. I always hear from women, ‘I was exactly like that as a kid so it’s so great to see someone like that.’ I think it’s funny because I don’t think she ever really talks about anything specifically, but it’s just like being the way that she is which is really cool.”
Will there be more singing?
Dan Mintz: “I mean that was kind of a pleasant surprise for me because I actually like singing on the show. I don’t like singing live but being recorded (is fine). I never thought that was something I’d ever want to do and it’s always really fun.”
Larry Murphy: “I think that Loren (Bouchard) has a musical background and loves music. I think that’s grown over the course of the seven seasons.”
Kristen Schaal: ”Yeah, we had no idea. I also like singing on the show too because there’s room for mistakes because Louise is a child. It’s okay if she’s off key, and I think they even prefer it which is good because I can’t hear notes apparently.”
Dan Mintz: “It’s great to play someone who’s not supposed to be a good singer.”
Larry Murphy: “And the song that Kristen and Jon did on the 100th episode I feel like it’s one of the best songs that they ever did.”
Kristen Schaal: “It’s a big hit among the Bob’s Burger staff.”
Do the scripts still surprise you? Are there any jokes in the scripts you don’t think will work out that actually do?
Kristen Schaal: “I think the visual jokes for the most part. I always reference it but it’s from a long time ago – there have been a couple this year – but the one where the animatronic shark comes to life in ‘The Deepening.’ Reading it, you can’t see how funny it is when it’s animated. I didn’t realize the impact it would have. It really tickled me to see that shark. There’s been a couple of jokes like that too where you can tell, ‘Oh, there’s a dance here,’ and you just have to sort of wait for it.”
Larry Murphy: “Or a montage sequence, that sort of thing where it kind of pays off and is funny.”
Do you any favorite recent episodes?
Kristen Schaal: “There’s an episode where Louise gets the flu. It’s called ‘Flu-ouise.’ She trips out on a fever and we get to follow her into this weird Louise world where her toys come to life. I’m excited about that one.”
Larry Murphy: “The next season there aren’t too many Teddy-focused episodes.”
Kristen Schaal: “That’s a shame, but there is one time.”
Larry Murphy: “Yeah, one time in ‘See Me Now’ where Teddy takes the Belcher family out on his newly refurbished boat. It gets pretty crazy.”
Kristen Schaal: “It gets pretty crazy and we get to learn about his past love.”
Why do think the audience is so passionate about this show?
Dan Mintz: “I think the voice of the show, it just sounds really different from what people are used to seeing. But, it also sounds really familiar in terms of how people really talk.”
Larry Murphy: “I think there’s a warmth to the show that doesn’t exist on a lot of programs, and certainly animated programs. It’s pretty impressive that people are able to connect with an animated show like that.”
John Krasinski’s joining a line of actors that includes Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine in taking on the role of Jack Ryan. Amazon has greenlit Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, an action drama starring Krasinski and executive produced by Carlton Cuse, Graham Roland, Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross, Mace Neufeld and Lindsey Springer. The series, which will be available to Amazon Prime Video subscribers, is produced by Paramount TV and Skydance and will be shooting in the U.S., Europe, and Africa.
Season one will consist of 10 one-hour episodes.
“We’re excited to add the Jack Ryan global franchise to our robust originals pipeline,” said Roy Price, Head of Amazon Studios. “Our customers will enjoy a compelling adaptation of the action-packed spy thriller book series, further raising the bar for the quality level of storytelling that has made Prime Video a leading destination for content.”
The Plot:Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan follows an up-and-coming CIA analyst thrust into a dangerous field assignment for the first time. Set to executive produce are Carlton Cuse (The Strain, Bates Motel) and Graham Roland (Almost Human), who wrote the pilot based on a story he and Cuse developed. The series follows Ryan (Krasinski) as he uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that launches him into the center of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale.
Anchor Bay Entertainment is releasing the complete sixth season of AMC’s zombie apocalypse series The Walking Dead on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD on August 23, 2016. This means TWD fans will be able to watch the pivotal scene from the finale over and over and over again on high quality video, dissecting the various possibilities as to the identity of Negan’s victim(s). The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray + Digital HD includes all of the 16 episodes as well as deleted scenes, new audio commentaries, and the alternate Negan scene.
Anchor Bay has provided two copies of The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray + Digital HD to give away to two lucky fans! Entering our The Walking Dead Blu-ray contest is super easy. Simply send an email to [email protected] with “THE WALKING DEAD” in the subject line. Only one entry per email address is allowed. You must be over 18 years old to enter and live in the United States. The contest ends on August 24, 2016 at 6pm PT.
The Season Six Plot: Season Six starts with Alexandria’s safety shattered by multiple threats. To make it, the people of Alexandria will need to catch up with our survivors’ hardness while many of Rick’s people will need to take a step back from the violence and pragmatism they’ve needed to embrace. These reversals won’t happen easily, or without conflict. But now Rick’s group is fighting for something more than survival… They’re fighting for their home, and they will defend that at any cost, against any threat, even if that threat comes from within. The series stars Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Lennie James, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Sonequa Martin-Green, Seth Gilliam, Michael Cudlitz, Alanna Masterson, Christian Serratos, Josh McDermitt, Ross Marquand, Austin Nichols, Alexandra Breckenridge and Tovah Feldshuh.
The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray bonus features include:
Episode 616: Last Day On Earth — The Extended Version
Season three of The CW’s comic book-inspired series The Flash picks up with Barry Allen’s friends unaware The Flash (Grant Gustin) has changed the timeline. The Flashpoint storyline that will play out in season three means we’ll be picking up familiar characters, including Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Cisco Ramon, (Carlos Valdes), Joe West (Jesse L Martin), and Iris West (Candice Patton), acting as though the events of seasons one and two did not occur.
During our interview at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Panabaker discussed what’s happening with Caitlin and whether we’ll get to see her tackling the Killer Frost role again either during or after the Flashpoint storyline.
Danielle Panabaker Interview:
How fun was it to play Killer Frost last season?
Danielle Panabaker: “The best. It was so cool. Look, I have such a fun job. We get to go play dress up every day and on top of it I get to be Caitlin Snow most of the time. But to get to play that alternate really bad guy, the best.”
Was the costume fun to do or was it kind of cumbersome?
Danielle Panabaker: “No, it was generally very fun. It was such a cool process to get to develop it. We knew it was coming so we got to work on it a little bit. We had some time. The contacts made it hard to see and there was something about the wig…whatever. It was awesome.”
Did the contacts help put you in the right kind of bad mood for getting into Killer Frost?
Danielle Panabaker: “I don’t think so. It’s funny though. I felt very reclusive because it was hard to see. I had to focus and conserve my energy.”
So there’s been talk about meeting Caitlin’s mom. Will that be part of Flashpoint?
Danielle Panabaker: “I want to meet her mom. I think it would be awesome. I’ve harassed them about that for a while. […]They don’t tell us anything. They’re like, ‘Okay…,’ and they nod a lot when we ask them questions. I would love to meet her. I feel like we know a lot about the Wests and the Allens and a little bit about the Ramons. It’s time for the Snows.”
How is Flashpoint going to affect Caitlin?
Danielle Panabaker: “That’s what’s cool about Flashpoint is that everything’s different, the relationships, the places, the people that you’ve come to know. They’re all different. It’s a testament to the cast that we’ve been able to pull off everything.”
Is it ever confusing to keep track of what version you’re playing or what version you’re talking to?
Danielle Panabaker: “I guess it could potentially be confusing when you’re reading a script, but to see it brought to life by everyone… Look at Tom Cavanagh and the difference that he brought season one versus season two to Harrison Wells. A lot of credit goes to him. He did an incredible job of changing the cadence and the tone of his voice; he threw things around which was not in the script. He’s just an incredible actor.”
Is this a Caitlin who has not experienced the losses we’ve seen her experience in seasons one and two?
Danielle Panabaker: “I would say her past is certainly different than the Caitlin Snow we’ve known.”
Assuming that at some point we do get back to the Caitlin Snow who suffered those losses, how will she be dealing with them?
Danielle Panabaker: “I think she had that moment at the end of season two where she was breaking down and she sort of confided in Cisco. But I do think her passion is her job and working with The Flash and being a part of #TeamFlash, so I think gives her her drive, for sure.”
Will we be exploring her love life again this season?
Danielle Panabaker: “She’s fine by herself. I think she can take a break from boys for a little bit. It’s not been working out too well for her.”
How difficult were the episodes in season four in which she was kidnapped by Zoom?
Danielle Panabaker: “It was funny because I was away from the cast for so long. I worked with Teddy (Sears) a lot. But, you know those two or three weeks where I didn’t see them except in passing – I missed them. Maybe they missed me.”
Would you be down for reprising Killer Frost?
Danielle Panabaker: “I would love to. I feel like it was such a tease. We saw a little bit of her but I feel like there’s always room for more. There are 52 Earths out there. We have a lot of Earths to play with.”
Caitlin had a connection with Grodd and last we saw he was heading to Gorilla City. Is that something you think might be explored this season?
Danielle Panabaker: “That’s a good question. I didn’t think about that. I would love to see more of him, and I do think it’s cool he and Caitlin share such a special bond. Hopefully that still exists in whichever world they know each other in.”
Have there been any hints about Caitlin crossing over to another show this season?
Danielle Panabaker: “No one has hinted, but I’ve asked. I want to go to Supergirl. I want to hang out with those women, for sure.”
Have you heard from any fans, young girls especially, who were inspired to go into science or technology because of Caitlin?
Danielle Panabaker: “A lot of times dads will tell me that they watch with their family and Caitlin is inspiring to young women. I think that is amazing. I was super into math when I was in middle school. I was mocked insistently for it. Hopefully in some small way this is changing that.”
Danielle Panabaker:
Watch the full Danielle Panabaker interview:
(Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.)
Bates Motel star Freddie Highmore says that he watches the classic Hitchcock film Psycho before every season. A&E’s Bates Motel is a prequel to the 1960 thriller and explores how Highmore’s character Norman Bates became the killer portrayed by Anthony Perkins in the Oscar nominated feature film. Season four of Bates Motel found Norman killing Norma but then unwilling to actually accept the fact his beloved mother is dead. Season five, the show’s final season, will further explore Norman’s deteriorating mental state.
During our interview at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Highmore discussed what Norman will be dealing with moving into this final season of the critically acclaimed series.
Freddie Highmore Interview:
You get to be the only one who interacts with Vera Farmiga – you’ll have her all to yourself. How does it feel to be carrying that Norma and Norman storyline forward?
Freddie Highmore: “I know. I wonder how it will work. In many ways this whole turn of events will probably mean that I get to have many more scenes with Vera than I’ve had in the past. That’s obviously a brilliant opportunity. I love her and I love working with her so I can’t wait.”
Will we see him further descend into madness? Are you looking forward to playing that?
Freddie Highmore: “I certainly think he’ll be descending into madness, given the fact that Vera’s going to be such a huge part of the show and we know that she’s dead and Norman thinks otherwise. The sort of entire conceit of the last season is based around that subjective reality of Norman’s as opposed to anything objective. Certainly, he’ll be going a little madder as time goes by.”
When you first were cast as Norman were you excited to be able to build the character? In the movie we don’t get to see his backstory at all.
Freddie Highmore: “No, exactly. I think by bringing it into the contemporary setting that the writers did way back when, and this season this deciding to intersect the Bates Motel storyline with that of Psycho but not necessarily retelling it scene-by-scene or exactly how things happened in the past, that’s left us free to be able to come up with our own version of the characters that doesn’t need to necessarily be tied to what came before. I think I’ve tried to come up with a happy medium where certainly there’s inspiration in things that are taken from Anthony Perkins’ performance but it’s never felt like I have to mimic everything that he did.”
Have you been doing more research into mental illness to prepare for this next season?
Freddie Highmore: “I think this next season’s just so wacky and different I’m not sure what it would be to base anything on. This last season, certainly, though was more research-heavy in the scenes with Dr. Edwards and the more scientific approach, if you like, in terms of looking at Norman’s psychology. But now you sort of just have to live in his reality and what he thinks to be true and avoid any moments – or least I hope to do – of wink wink to the audience. Like, ‘Ah, but actually she’s not around.’ I think the whole premise works if you’re entirely committed, and Norman is entirely committed to that reality, to what he believes.”
In the first season one of the themes was exploring whether Norman Bates’ evilness is nurture or nature. What do you think now?
Freddie Highmore: “I think it’s still the mix. I don’t think you can put…what this season I believe has shown is that it’s not Norman’s fault, it’s not Norma’s fault, it’s not Romero’s fault. None of them are really to blame. I don’t think that Norman – he certainly didn’t try to manipulate the outcome that ended up happening. He tried to take them both with him and it was, I believe, very much this act of love of sending them both off to a better place, if you will, in his sort of deluded way. So I guess that in itself speaks to both. It’s that ultimate mixture. I’m not sure you can blame anyone or say that people couldn’t have done things to change the course of events.”
Filming just got underway on Guillermo del Toro’s new movie, The Shape of Water, starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer. Described as “other-worldly,” the Fox Searchlight film was written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor (Game of Thrones) and is produced by del Toro and J. Miles Dale. Commenting on the start of production, del Toro said, “I started working on The Shape of Water right around the time we moved to Toronto for Pacific Rim. Working with Fox Searchlight and being supported by this beautiful group of actors and artists, I feel extremely blessed and brave.”
“It feels like we have an embarrassment of riches on this film. An ensemble of incredible actors who are working at the very top of their craft, a wildly original story from Guillermo’s one-of-a-kind mind, and the brilliant team at Fox Searchlight to shepherd us along. We’re all very excited to see how far we can take it,” stated producer J. Miles Dale.
Luis Sequeria (The Strain) is the film’s costume designer, Dan Laustsen (Crimson Peak) is on board as director of photography, and Paul Austerberry (Pompeii) is the producer designer. Dennis Berardi (Mama) is supervising the visual effects and Sidney Wolinsky (House of Cards) is attached as editor.
“We are thrilled to be working with Guillermo del Toro as he is the ultimate visionary director. He has brought together an amazingly talented cast to bring this brilliant and unique story to life,” added Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley.
The very basic plot: “The Shape of Water is an other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963. A mysterious and magical journey from Guillermo del Toro.”
Filming is underway on season three of Fox’s Gotham and Cory Michael Smith (Ed Nygma/The Riddler) says at this point Ed has figured out who he really is. Now, it’s all going to be about moving toward the ultimate destination of fully embracing The Riddler. Season three of Gotham will kick off on September 19, 2016 and in support of the upcoming season, Smith talked about the popular series during our roundtable interview at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con.
Cory Michael Smith Interview:
Will viewers be surprised by what’s happening with Ed this season?
Cory Michael Smith: “Yeah, I think so. I know pretty much the season trajectory; I’m pretty stoked about it. But, first things first. I’m still in Arkham and there’s a time jump. Time has passed and I’m still in Arkham and I have to figure out how to get out. Once that happens, then the fun begins.”
Your character has gone through one of the biggest evolutions on the show. Picking up from where you left him, what are you excited about?
Cory Michael Smith: “Well, you know he’s still certainly not The Riddler yet. We’re working there. I think he has an idea of who he is. I think he has the sort of confidence that he found, especially in Arkham. It’s just that now he’s been relegated to a cell for months and months and months and his spirit is down. But once he gets out, has a nice bath, gets his suits back… He’s able to make friends now he realizes at Arkham, so once he’s out he figures out his alliances and gets himself back going. The excitement and the joy that he was experiencing by finally embracing his true identity, we get to jump back on that track.
You know, he’s someone that now has decided though he may have friends and alliances, he doesn’t need anybody. His great lesson to Oswalt was, ‘If you don’t have any attachments, nothing can hurt you.’ I don’t know that Oswalt is actually capable of that, but I think Ed is capable of that. I think there’s a level of sociopathy to Ed that can disconnect. He thinks he likes people. Like, he thought he loved Crystal but it’s more obsession. I think he can actually shut down. So, that’s kind of what I’m excited for. Things are going to get pretty dark for Ed this year.”
Should his friends and allies be worried?
Cory Michael Smith: “No. I mean, as long as everyone is aware that Ed will always be smarter than them and not threaten him or knock him for that or question him, I think it’s fine. I think he can co-exist with people as long as they don’t get in his way.”
Are you looking forward to taking it even darker?
Cory Michael Smith: “Yeah, very much so. I mean, the thing that I love about him and I think what separates him from a lot of the other villains in the Batman universe but especially in our show, is his joy and his glee. That will never go away. It’s just the things that he is gleeful about are going to change. That’s what’s going to be so dark. I don’t need him to be like this brooding, angry, vicious person. There’s so much of that. For him, it’s going to be about finding the games and playing games on people. That’s the joy, you know? It’s messing with people in that way.”
Once Upon a Time series creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz said Oncers can expect the sixth season to concentrate on our favorite Storybrooke characters, circling back to the style and tone of season two. Storybrooke is front and center this season as Emma (Jennifer Morrison), Hook (Colin O’Donoghue), Regina (Lana Parrilla), Henry (Jared Gilmore), Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin), Charming (Josh Dallas), and Belle (Emilie de Ravin) squaring off against the Evil Queen. Mr. Hyde, Aladdin, Jafar, Princess Jasmine, Morpheus, and the Count of Monte Cristo will also be involved in the fantasy series’ sixth season.
What else can Oncers expect? Here’s what Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz had to say during roundtable interviews at this year’s San Diego Comic Con:
What are the flashbacks going to be like this season now that we have the Land of Untold Stories?
Edward Kitsis: “Episode two we’re going to see the Count of Monte Cristo. We’ll have a tie-in where we’ll see to our beloved characters in the Enchanted Forest. Of course, you can’t introduce Jekyll and Hyde and not tell that story.”
Adam Horowitz: “I’ll say also it’s not all the Land of Untold Stories. There’s a mix and match of different things that we’re doing. Unlike the last couple of seasons, we’re not doing a, ‘We’re going to a new land and that’s where we’re going to be for the first half of the season.’ We’re kind of in Storybrooke, the Land of Untold Stories characters have arrived like we saw last year, and that is part of the story we’re telling. The arcs we’re doing this season kind of touch on a bunch of different things.”
Edward Kitsis: “I think what you’re going to see is the paradigm of the show is these characters from the Land of Untold Stories have run away because they don’t want their stories to play out. And so now that they’re back in Storybrooke, they’re going to play out. So once again you have Emma in the position of savior trying to help these people find their happiness. The villain is, of course, you know we met Hyde – but there’s another one out there that’s far scarier and her name is the Evil Queen. We may find ourselves in an Emma, Regina, Snow, Charmings against the Evil Queen trying to help people once again.”
Will we explore why she didn’t actually die when they crushed her heart?
Adam Horowitz: “Absolutely, yes, and what happened to her and why the Evil Queen was able to come back.”
Edward Kitsis: “Can she be destroyed? How do you cut off the darkness and that kind of philosophical (questions).”
Adam Horowitz: “Can we even really split the darkness out of yourself? All of those are questions that we intend to explore.”
We saw that Aladdin will be a savior. What does it take to be a savior?
Adam Horowitz: “Hard work.”
Edward Kitsis: “I think for us the very first thing we hope people realize is that Emma wasn’t the first. So, once you realize Emma wasn’t the first, then it makes you wonder, ‘Well, last year we learned about the Dark One mythology. Is this the year we learn about the savior mythology?’ And the answer would be yes.”
Adam Horowitz: “Maybe. (Laughing) Yes. The answer is yes.”
Will we find out who the original savior is?
Edward Kitsis: “That could be a perhaps. That is a possibility. But, one of the things that we’re really excited is to…last year we saw Emma say to Hook, ‘I love you,’ when there was no problem, when there was no doubt. So, she was able to let in those new emotions. One of the things we want to get into this year is Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan’s head is, ‘What is it like to finally find your parents? What is it like to have the pressure of being the savior? What is it like to fight all of those fights?’ And I think the Aladdin thing kind of showed you what happens to the savior. We saw Jafar kind of say, ‘All that’s left is the stump.’ And so for us we really want to explore for Emma to look at is, ‘Is my job just helping other people? Do I get my own happiness? Does this happen to all saviors? What do you mean I’m not the first?”
So we can expect to see some parallels between Aladdin in how things could go for Emma?
Adam Horowitz: “I would say that what we’re going to do with Aladdin we will slowly reveal, but it’s certainly I think from the get-go we might see that there will be some hints from that scene in the beginning to whatever we’ll be facing in the present.”
Are they going to meet at some point?
Edward Kitsis: “I hope so.”
With the new characters we’ll be exploring from the Land of Untold Stories, would you say there’s going to be more of a season two feel to season six?
Edward Kitsis: “Absolutely. I think the construction, the paradigm, even just back to the small town stories. We’re very excited to see Archie come back and Leroy. We just really wanted to get back to Storybrooke and kind of tell those small town stories.
Adam Horowitz: “It felt like a natural progression which is after a couple of seasons of going to Neverland or Arendelle or Camelot that we wanted to be back in Storybrooke and really focusing on how all of these events cumulatively have really affected our characters. What does it mean for Snow and Charming after all of this now to see their daughter going through this. The characters from the Untold Stories are one piece of the character puzzle of what’s going on with all of our main characters.”
What themes are you exploring this season?
Edward Kitsis: “I think there’s a few different themes. The biggest them, of course, is can you really separate the good from the bad? Are we really able to say we’re all one thing or another? I think we’re going to see that going throughout. I think we’re also going to kind of question what is happiness and what is a happy ending. Is it just living your life or is it one final moment with a ‘The End?’ And I think that’s what we want to explore because we started the show off with Snow White being woken up with what was the end of her fairy tale, so we want to dive into a lot of maybe this is the happy ending and we have to actually start living it and stop fighting every monster that comes to town.”
How much do you work with the actors on their characters? How collaborative is it?
Adam Horowitz: (Laughing) “They do what we say!”
Edward Kitsis: “No. The thing with this cast is the cast of Once Upon a Time in our opinion is the true star. What’s so great is you write one thing but each one of those actors knows their role and their character so well that you really get this great combination where you collaborate. So, we have an idea, they have an idea, and we kind of get it together. Or, you know we’ll write something and an actor will start playing it a different way than we thought and then we’ll start writing to that. Then it becomes this thing. So, after six years we have such a shorthand. It’s like a basketball team where you can do the behind the back pass and you know where they are in the court. That’s how I think we are as a team.”
Adam Horowitz: “Our job in terms of writing the show and overseeing the mythology and storytelling and all that is so all encompassing it’s really great we have this cast that takes such ownership over each one of their roles. They all become kind of the guardians of who those characters are. So that when we write these stories and when we develop them, they have incredible insight after years of playing them to really help us to make it this one unified thing.”
Edward Kitsis: “Because when you write a script, the first time you write it you write it through the prospective of every character. And what’s great about these actors is there’s checks and balance. They really know their characters really well.”
Watch the full interview with Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz:
