Robin Hood will have a pretty big role on the brand new season of Once Upon a Time, which is set to begin airing its third season this fall. Unfortunately, fans who enjoyed Tom Ellis’ rendition of the character will be a bit disappointed by the upcoming arc. Ellis won’t be returning to the series and will instead be replaced by British actor Sean Maguire.
Maguire has mostly been known for a wide range of roles in British programs, including EastEnders and Scott & Bailey. The actor has also appeared in Criminal Minds and The Class. The man’s even dealt with period costumes before, thanks to the British-American sword and sorcery series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. Maguire starred in that comedy series as the titular Kröd. His character on Once Upon a Time may not be totally similar, but will at least be able to rock some of the leather digs he got into in that series.
We don’t know much about the role Robin Hood will play on the new season of ABC’s fantasy drama, but we do know the role is recurring. Additionally, co-creator Adam Horowitz had a few nice things to say about Ellis and the reasons he won’t be returning to Once Upon a Time in Season 3. Horowitz recently spoke to TV Line about the lineup change.
“Although we love Tom Ellis, unfortunately he wasn’t available. We remain huge fans of his, but because we have an arc planned for the character, we had to move forward.”
Ellis was a good fit for the role, but he only popped up in one episode of the series before this season, so Maguire should assumedly be able to step into the role with little trouble. Still, we’lll remember Ellis fondly for impregnating Marian and stealing from Rumpelstiltskin.
Once Upon a Time was renewed for a third season back in May. The new season is set to spend more time in the fairytale realm, but Storybrooke will also be a component to the expansive series. If you’ve got a lot of love for Once Upon A Time, ABC has also put together a spinoff series called Once Upon a Time In Wonderland that is also set to hit the schedule this fall. Once Upon a Time will hit ABC’s schedule on September 29 at 8 p.m. ET followed by the Wonderland spinoff on October 10 at 8 p.m. ET.
