Epic is a new Disney fairy tale series from the creators of Once Upon a Time, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. The show is currently in the pilot stage and was picked up by ABC in January 2021. Once Upon a Time writer Brigitte Hales has been developing the project since December 2019 and will serve as an executive producer on the Disney-owned ABC show alongside Kitsis and Horowitz. The trio has previously worked together on both Once and the Apple TV+ series, Amazing Stories.
While a release date has yet to be announced, Eleanor Fanyika has been selected to lead the cast of Epic, with Brittany O’Grady, Sarah Hyland, and Tony Sebastian headlining the series alongside Fanyika and Alexander Hodge set to guest star. The hour-long fairy tale drama has been described as a romantic anthology series set in the Disney universe.
While similarities may exist between the two series, Epic will not overlap with the Once Upon a Time universe, according to the creators. Instead, the show will follow a whole new set of characters and storylines as it reimagines classic Disney fairy tales set in an Enchanted Forest. Based on their success with Once Upon a Time, the new series will likely follow a similar formula, offering fans a unique take on these classic tales - and this time with the theme of finding love front and center. Introducing brand new characters alongside classic Disney heroes and villains, Epic will seek to explore love in its many forms, spinning new tales inspired by the love stories of young princes and princesses seen in classic Disney movies like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.
In Epic, Fanyinka will play the mysterious character known only as “The Seer,” who is rumored to lead people down the path of true love. While O’Grady's Luna is said to be a cynical fairy tale princess with a broken heart who no longer believes in love, Sebastian's Philippe is a fairy tale prince charming searching for his one true love, and Hyland is a jilted princess bride-to-be named Rose. Audiences can expect to see relationship stereotypes and romance archetypes turned on their heads in Epic, as the series revolves around these characters striving to find love and struggling along the way. Likely with “The Seer” there to provide some insight and perspective for the love-sick wanderers.
Based on its predecessor, Epic's love stories will likely be vastly different from the romances seen in Disney movies of the past. For example, Once Upon a Time's first LGBTQ love story happened in season 3, revealing Mulan was in love with Sleeping Beauty's Aurora in "Quite A Common Fairy." Though this was a tale of unrequited love, these are the kinds of fairy-tale-bending stories fans of the trio behind the new Epic series have come to know and love. Once Upon a Time was a huge success for ABC, and the fact that Kitsis, Horowitz, and Hales will all be involved in Epic is a welcome announcement for fans of the trios' previous work and their talent for twisting classic fairy tales into modern-day stories that are refreshingly relevant to viewers today. If the trios' previous success is any indication, Epic is set to become ABC's next big hit from this pilot season.