Lana Parrilla, Colin O'Donoghue and Robert Carlyle were the only ones remaining, while Rebecca Mader and Jared S. Gilmore returned in recurring capacities.

[5] The storyline was softly rebooted[6][7][8] with a main narrative led by an adult Henry Mills, set several years after last season's events.

[10] Existing fictional characters introduced to the series during the season include Tiana, Mother Gothel, Eudora, Dr. Facilier, Prince Naveen, Madame Leota, and Captain Ahab.

As Henry's daughter Lucy sets out to restore his belief, Mother Gothel seeks to reclaim her former home by using her Coven of the Eight, while other villains, including Lady Tremaine, Drizella, Dr. Facilier, and Hansel, each have their own agendas.

In a flashback in the Wish Realm, shortly after the Charmings stopped Regina from casting her curse, Hook agrees to grant her passage on the Jolly Roger in exchange for leading him to powerful magic guarded by a witch.

After Regina confronts Weaver, who refuses to confirm that he has woken up from the curse, she tells Henry she's heading to San Francisco to meet with someone who was pushed out of town by Victoria.

Residents of this neighborhood included displaced characters from the original and new versions of the Enchanted Forest, as well as regular people from the Land Without Magic.

The initial villain is Lady Tremaine, who assumes the role of an urban developer who seeks to "gentrify the neighborhood" and push out and separate fairytale residents.

Meanwhile, Storybrooke and various Fairy Tale Land locations still appear in the flashbacks of the season as the story bounces back and forth between the characters' lives before and during the latest curse.

In July, the first promo of the season revealed that Killian is now a Seattle police officer with the last name Rogers, who is living with an unexplained sense of loss.

[3] On July 15, it was announced that Ramirez would be portraying Cinderella, albeit a different version from the one previously played by Jessy Schram for the first six seasons.

Cox would be portraying Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, while Reynolds would be playing an alternate version of Alice, a character previously featured in the spin-off Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

[38] On that same day, it was also announced that Emma Booth was cast in a major recurring role as the Witch,[22] whose more specific identity would be revealed later on during the season.

[27] On September 8, it was announced that Meegan Warner would be guest starring as an alternate version of Rapunzel, a character previously featured in the season 3 episode "The Tower".

[91] On September 20, it was announced that former regular Rebecca Mader would return for multiple episodes in the seventh season as Zelena, who would also have a cursed identity.

[33] On November 16, actor Chad Rook announced that he had been cast in an unknown role, later revealed to be Captain Ahab in the thirteenth episode.

This includes former regulars Gilmore (who had also been confirmed to appear in the twentieth episode)[98] and Sean Maguire, as well as formerly recurring stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Victoria Smurfit, Robbie Kay, Beverley Elliott, Lee Arenberg, Keegan Connor Tracy and Tony Amendola.

[53] On March 21, it was announced that Morrison and de Ravin would be back for a second time, along with Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas for the final episode of the series.