‘Once Upon A Time’ To Introduce Faran Tahir As Hook’s Nemesis

Once Upon a Time keeps things fresh by introducing new characters and revealing how fan favorite protagonists have interacted with them in their past lives. Next up for a similar treatment is Captain Hook, played by Colin O’Donohue, as the Once Upon a Time showrunners Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis dig deep into Disney’s pantheon of mythical characters to create a new foe for the beloved antihero. Once Upon a Time will introduce Faran Tahir (Dallas, Warehouse 13) as a rival captain, someone from Hook’s very colorful past.

Once Upon a Time Pits Sea Captains Against Each Other In Season 6

In a new twist, Entertainment Weekly reveals that Once Upon a Time showrunners Horowitz and Kitsis have cast Faran to play the fabled Captain Nemo, directly out of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. As commander of the Nautilus submarine, Tahir’s Captain Nemo arrives in Storybrooke as a part of a quest, one which he means to accomplish at all costs and, as the Once Upon a Time bosses hint, Nemo will see Hook as an obstacle in achieving that mysterious goal.

“We’re thrilled to give a Once Upon a Time spin to the classic character of Captain Nemo from one of our favorite Disney films,20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis say in a joint statement. “We’re excited to see his mythology merge with Storybrooke’s own captain — Hook [Colin O’Donohue]. If for no other reason than to see the Jolly Roger go up against a submarine.”

Something of this nature might have been expected by Once Upon a Time fans, particularly since the show’s Comic-Con panel revealed that season 6 would dig deeper into Hook’s past. The panel teased fans with the promise that secrets from Hook’s past would emerge in the coming installment of the long-running ABC fairy tale series.

Will Captain Nemo Silence The Wedding Bells For Hook And Emma?

iTech Times cites several past behind the scenes photos, shared on the Once Upon a Time Instagram page in suggesting that Season 6 would include some wedded bliss for Hook and Emma (Jennifer Morrison). In fact, the images have spurred related gossip among fans of the series, paying particular attention to the so-called “Swan smooches” pictures. When asked directly about the possibility of a Once Upon a Time wedding the series showrunners were notably evasive.

“I would say you’ll have to watch season 6, you never know what’s going to happen, you never know what’s going to happen with those two.”

Long time fans of the show know that nothing as monumental as a wedding can happen in Storybrooke without disaster striking. After all, look what happened at the wedding of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her Prince Charming (Josh Dallas)…and Regina (Lana Parrilla) wasn’t even invited to that wedding. While nothing has yet been confirmed, it seems like having Captain Nemo crash the nuptials for Hook and Swan would make for one grand entrance and lead to more than a few fractured story arcs with which to drive much of season 6. After all, who knows what history Hook and Nemo have together?

Captain Nemo’s vendetta against Hook and the fallout from that conflict won’t be the only story arcs in season 6 of Once Upon a Time. Also making their way to Storybrooke this season are Aladin (Deniz Akdeniz), Jafar (Oded Fehr), and Jasmine (Karen David). The new season already seems to be living up to its “Land of Untold Stories” theme with so many new characters from far off lands and far off seas.

The Season 6 premiere of Once Upon a Time will air on Sunday, September 25 on ABC.

[Image via ABC]