‘Once Upon a Time’ season 5 casts Liam Garrigan as King Arthur, Dark Emma detailed
The Once Upon a Time universe will grow again in season 5, this time venturing into Camelot in search of Merlin. Sinque Walls is already confirmed be returning as Lancelot and now EW reports that Liam Garrigan will join the popular ABC show as King Arthur.
“British actor Liam Garrigan will portray King Arthur, EW has learned exclusively. Garrigan, whose credits include 24: Live Another Day, Strike Back and the Starz miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, will first appear in the season premiere and will recur,” their report announces.
“As we do on Once Upon a Time, we’re doing our own twist on Camelot, on Arthur’s background and on his relationships with Merlin, Guinevere and Lancelot,” executive producer Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis say.
Camelot is set to play a big role in the fifth season after the Apprentice revealed in the season 4 finale that the mysterious Sorcerer who may be able to save Emma (Jennifer Morrison), who has is now hosting the Dark One, is actually Merlin.
Emma sacrificed herself to save Regina (Lana Parrilla) and took on the burden of being the Dark One. Check out the first photo of Morrison’s “Dark Swan” below.
“Every part of her is fighting her dark urges,” Kitsis says. “What happens when [the darkness] mixes with the lightest magic of all, and will Emma have the strength to fight it?”
“How a Dark One manifests is specific to each person (as opposed to Robert Carlyle’s Rumplestiltskin) who takes on the mantle,” says Horowitz. “Emma will have her own unique spin on what it means to be a Dark One.”
Becoming the Dark One “allows you to have the freedom to have no inhibitions,” Kitsis adds, which could play a role in exactly how Emma uses her powers. “We are going to be exploring love and what happens when you use it as a weapon and what are the things that it makes you do. In the past, we’ve said love is the most powerful magic of all. It makes you do many things you normally wouldn’t think you would…The quest for Merlin is the quest to free Emma,” and that may require a new savior.
Actors Sean Maguire (Robin Hood) and Rebecca Mader (Zelena) have been made series regulars.
Once Upon a Time returns on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
