Robert Carlyle Is Rumpelstiltskin No, Really - He Is

First shots from ABC’s new fantasy show Once Upon A Time

Well, here’s the cover for SFX ’s autumn TV preview issue all worked out – Robert Carlyle, yes, the hard-as-nails nutter from Trainspotting , as fairy tale character Rumpelstiltskin in ABC’s new fantasy series Once Upon A Time . Clearly he wants to escape stereotyping. Or maybe not. We can hear him ranting, “Don’t say my name, B**CH!”

A mix of sci-fi and fantasy with a strong mystery element, the premise is a modern-day take on fairy tales, with the plot set in two realities – ours and a fantasy universe. In our world the setting is Storybrooke, Maine. A woman (Morrison) with a troubled past is drawn there, and the place’s magic may hold the key to unlocking some dark secrets about her. The showrunners are Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz of Lost fame, and we get the feeling that there’ll be a lot more to the show than the twee overload on offer in these images…

Dave Golder
Freelance Writer

Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.