Prepare to be spellbound: the "Once Upon a Time" season three promo has been released.
ABC released a promo for the fairytale drama over the weekend, giving some hints as to what viewers will see next season. The promo shows Emma (Jennifer Morrison), Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) and the others sailing to Neverland. The promo also shows Emma and Regina (Lana Parrilla) butting heads over finding Emma's son, Henry. Emma is seen saying to Regina, "Help me get my son back, or get out of the way."
Co-creator Adam Horowitz told TVLine that there will be obstacles on the road to tracking down Emma's son.
"There will certainly be hurdles to be cleared in order for them to rescue Henry - if they do in fact manage to rescue Henry," Horowitz said. "We'll see different alliances forming, and we'll see splits occurring."
Fans will also start to find out in the first few episodes why Peter Pan wants Henry in the first place. "In the first few episodes, you're going to start realizing what he wants Henry for, but like any good mystery, you won't know the whole picture until you watch the whole 11 episodes," co-creator Edward Kitsis said.
TVLine also confirmed that Ariel's two-legged love, Prince Eric, has been cast. Gil McKinney will play Ariel's (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) love interest. MicKinney is known for his roles on "Supernatural" and "Friday Night Lights." He played Dean and Sam's paternal grandfather on "Supernatural," and played Julie's T.A. and love interest on the final season of "Friday Night Lights." He will portray the handsome seafaring prince in a multi-episode arc in season three.
Both Ariel and Prince Eric will debut in the season's sixth episode, which is aptly titled "Ariel." The Storybrooke characters will most likely encounter the mermaid and her man in Neverland.
Viewers may also see the past connection between Ariel and Regina. Regina referred to a "certain mermaid" in a past episode titled "Skin Deep." Fans have speculated that the "certain mermaid" referred to is everyone's favorite red-headed mermaid. Although it is not definite, Horowitz said that "we might" flash back to an encounter between Ariel and Regina.
Peter Pan's diminutive sidekick Tinker Bell, played by Rose McIver, will also appear in upcoming episodes. McIver said that the tiny fairy has an interesting connection to Peter Pan's arch rival.
"Captain Hook has a history with Tink and wants to find her to help lead the team to Peter Pan's camp," McIver said.
Season three will also show Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Emma (Jennifer Morrison) banding together to fight Peter Pan and his Lost Boys, according to TVLine. "In a lot of ways, Mary Margaret may not be able to bond with Emma, but Bandit Snow and Emma have a lot in common," Kitsis said.
Their mission will most likely take place within season three's big Neverland story arc, which will take up eleven episodes of the season. Kitsis referred to the long storyline "as its own season, like one giant movie."
"Once Upon a Time" premieres on Sunday, September 29 on ABC.
Check out the new promo for the third season at TVLine.