‘Once Upon a Time’ season 2 spoilers: Which recurring character could be gone?

There are always good and bad things about pilot season. It gives talented actors the chance to land some new full-time jobs, and it often gives birth to series that we end up watching for years on end. On the flip side, though, it also means that we lose many recurring actors from other shows as they land themselves new projects.

Today, we’re talking about “Once Upon a Time’s” own Mulan in Jamie Chung. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress has been cast in “Believe,” the upcoming NBC drama series from J.J. Abrams and a personal favorite in Alfonso Cuaron about a young girl destined to receive powers in seven years’ time. She will be playing a tough, smart woman named Channing who plays an integral role in leading an escape from prison so that a man can protect this girl from harm. This series is certainly of the high-concept variety, but given Abrams’ success with “Lost,” “Revolution,” and his film efforts, it has to be a favorite right away to receive a series pickup.

So what will this mean for the future of Mulan on “Once Upon a Time”? The obvious answer is that we simply will not see much more of her on the show, but this is hardly a surprise given that she has become a non-factor ever since Snow White and Emma left the present-day fairy tale world to return to Storybrooke. She will surely be welcome to return to the show if “Believe” is picked up, but like with Giancarlo Esposito, she may not really have much time to appear. While Esposito is a case of a character having to disappear thanks to other commitments, we also have on the flip side Emilie de Ravin (Belle), who ended up being made a series regular after her pilot “Americana” fell through.

What do you think about this casting? If you want to read some more “Once Upon a Time” scoop on Regina and Mr. Gold, you can do so here.

Photo: ABC