‘Once’ Casts Sleeping Beauty and Mulan for Sophomore Season

This article was featured on Word of the Nerd Online on July 7, 2012.

The fantasy drama Once Upon a Time is gearing up for San Diego Comic Con with several announcements regarding casting for the show's sophomore season. The May season finale drew nearly ten million viewers and the series promises to be just as intriguing for season two. Once, which returns in September 2012, takes viewers into the world of their favorite fairy tales, shifting back and forth between "the real world" and a fantasy world made up of characters from classic Disney stories. The season ended with Snow and Charming discovering their true identities and Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin returning magic to the world. His actions will more than likely bring about dire consequences.



 Two new Disney heroines will be added to the stable of characters for Season 2. Aurora, known by Sleeping Beauty, will be portrayed by The Tudors' Sarah Bolger. The classic story of Sleeping Beauty has Aurora falling into a deep sleep after pricking her finger on a spinning wheel cursed by Malificent. The curse is broken when a handsome prince, Philip in the Disney version, kisses the slumbering Aurora. Entertainment Weekly describes Once's Aurora as  "a spoiled girl from a privileged background who’s willing to 'sacrifice everything for love.'"

 In addition to Aurora, Mulan will be joining the cast as a regular for Season 2. The earliest accounts of the legend of Mulan state that she lived during the Northern Wei Dynasty, from 386 to 534, and a poem titled Ballad of Mulan was written to describe her selfless act of taking the place of her father in the Chinese military. In Disney's 1998 adaptation, Mulan is a girl who does not quite fit into model Chinese society. She takes the place of her father to face the invading Huns not only to protect her father, but also to prove that she is a capable warrior. (Mulan is one of my favorite Disney films.) Sucker Punch actress Jamie Chung has been cast as the fighter for Once season 2. In a release from EW, she is described as "having been trained in weaponry, tracking and riding, but 'has a spirituality that enhances her tactical and strategic abilities. She has suffered past betrayals, so her trust is hard-won, but once she gives her oath of friendship her loyalty knows no boundaries.' Also, 'when she falls in love, she falls hard.'"

Image courtesy of Entertainment Weekly

A Season 2 poster has been released which features seven characters which will most likely play a large role in the sophomore season. Though it does not reveal details about what fans can expect, it does showcase two characters who were not necessarily the focus of the beginning of the first season. Ruby/Red and Belle join five principal characters Emma, Mary Margaret/Snow, David/Charming, Regina/Evil Queen, and Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin showing that they will likely figure largely in the next season. Of course, with the addition of Aurora to the cast, it is almost certain that we will see more Maleficient, which should prove to be incredibly exciting. More details may emerge following SDCC and perhaps (one can hope) we will even be treated to a trailer!

Are you a fan of Once Upon a Time? What classic fairy tale character would you like to see added to the cast?