'Once Upon A Time' Season 7 Will Go In A New Direction

The two-part Season 6 finale of Once Upon a Time is going to show how terrible the Black Fairy's version of Storybrooke would be. But Oncers can rest easy when the May 14 episode comes to an end. Deadline reported that ABC renewed Once Upon A Time for Season 7. But it already sounds like there are some major changes in store.

Update: ABC announced at San Diego Comic Con on July 19 that Once Upon A Time Season 7 will premiere on Oct. 6.

Earlier: First up, there are at least a couple of character departures ahead. Jennifer Morrison is leaving Once Upon a Time, as she announced on Instagram just a few weeks before the Season 6 finale. In her Instagram post, Morrison wrote, "As I reached the end of my 6 year contract on Once Upon a Time, I was faced with a significant decision ... After very careful consideration, I have decided that creatively and personally, it is time for me to move on ... If ABC Network does in fact order a Season 7, I have agreed to appear in one episode, and I will most certainly continue to watch Once Upon a Time."

After so much of Season 6 was devoted to why Emma is so important, it is a little disappointing to hear that Morrison isn't going to be a part of the show's future. Deadline claimed that Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas are also not expected to move forward with Once Upon A Time.

Rebecca Mader, who plays Zelena, also announced her departure via Instagram. However, Mader says that the decision was not her choice, but "a creative decision of the shows [sic] that I totally respect and understand."

And because they knew that the series regulars would have the option of leaving after their contracts ended, the creators of the show have decided to build some ambiguity into the Season 6 Once finale. Eddy Kitsis told TVLine, "We planned this finale from the beginning of the year, so whoever stays and whoever goes… all those questions have already been dealt with. The audience does not have to fear [anything] incomplete." That's a huge relief.

There will also be some new characters introduced in the finale, a mysterious stranger and a young girl, as a part of the show's "reset," according to TVLine. ABC president Channing Dungey told Deadline that "regardless of what we decide to do at the end of this season, I think they think [the creators] would put a little bit of a bow here, and then there is a next piece that comes after that, so they are trying to figure out what that is and how that works." She adds, "There will be a little bit of closure in this particular narrative." Looks like the OUAT team have decided that adding these two new characters, and ending the story of possibly three of the Charmings will bring that closure.

This series has a passionate fanbase who have been devoted to these characters for years, so it's bittersweet to know that it's moving in a new direction. Hopefully, Once Upon a Time Season 7 will continue to appeal to its viewers as much as the first six years they've loved so dearly.