Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-25926288-20170728205559/@comment-6175354-20170809034436

CoolDudeAl wrote: Also, we are only 4 episodes in and already have confirmed 9 actors are returning that we're on Seasons 1 - 6, that's not much of a reboot to me. Who are the nine returning actors? Anyone who is a current regular does not count.

Assuming OUaT does not get cancelled this year, S7 will probably be the only season with cameos from old cast members. Robert Carlyle is definitely leaving, at the end of this year. Hence, no more Rumplestiltskin shenanigans. Colin O'Donoghue's contract expires this year. Meaning, Hook may or may not be part of (the possible) S8.

Television is a business, and it all comes down to money. So, ABC is going to have to review the numbers, to determine if it is financially possible to renew OUaT. Colin O'Donoghue's contract is expiring, and Hook was preserved in the Disney Vault. Meaning, Colin can negotiate a raise in salary, if he does not choose to leave. Then there is the revenue from commercials, but the new time slot brings in a lower amount.