'Chicago Med' Alum Makes 'Once Upon a Time' Debut in New First-Look Photo

09/03/2017 09:57 pm EDT

Former Chicago Med actress Mekia Cox will make her debut as Disney's Princess Tiana on the new season of Once Upon a Time, and now the first photo of her in costume had been released.

TV Line shared the photo, which finds Cox's Tiana dressed more like a swordswoman than a princess. She'll make her first appearance in the show's third episode of the new season.

Speaking about the character, Once creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis said, "We meet Tiana in a fairy tale realm in turmoil. She's a princess with a mission — to restore freedom to her people."

They added, "Tiana's most defining characteristic is her strength. She's been through a lot when we meet her, but she never wavers even when doubting oneself would seem to be the most logical, and safe, course of action."

Finally, Horowitz and Kitsis said. "She has her share of enemies, but that goes with the territory when one is fighting for a just cause."

While big shake-ups in the cast have had a lot of people anxious about the next season, at least one returning Once Upon a Time cast member is eager to see what happens in the "next chapter."

Lana Parrilla, who plays Regina Mills/the Evil Queen, recently spoke with reporters about the show's new direction and what she's expecting.

Speaking of the departing cast, she said, "Once Upon a Time is all of us [and] I'm really going to miss working alongside all those people."

Regarding the statement that Channing Dungey, the head ABC Entertainment made about some characters returning "but with new identities in a new city, facing a new curse," Parrilla said, "I do know that we're playing sort of different characters," and then went on to admit that "it's all unknown" even to her right now.

Ultimately, though, she said that she's "excited to see what the next chapter is for Regina."

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