Zelena (Once Upon a Time)
In December 2013, Rebecca Mader was cast as the Wicked Witch of the West. She made multiple appearances during the second half of season three and was promoted to a series regular for the show's fifth season. The role of the Wicked Witch of the West was written specifically for Rebecca Mader. It was announced that the writers had chosen not to continue with Zelena's storyline and Mader would not be returning for the seventh season of the show. However, Mader later revealed that she would be returning for multiple season seven episodes.
Dead of Summer (TV series)
"Dead of Summer" was ordered to series on November 18, 2015, along with an announcement that ABC Family would be transforming into Freeform in January 2016. The show is a reunion for "Once Upon a Time" creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and one-time-writer Ian B. Goldberg. In February 2016 it was reported that "Lost" and "Once Upon a Time" stars Elizabeth Mitchell and Elizabeth Lail would headline the show, initiating another reunion between writers and cast. In April 2016, Freeform announced that the series would premiere on June 28, 2016.