Paley Fest 2014: Can They Escape What’s to Come on Sleepy Hollow?

On night seven of Paley Fest 2014, the creative minds and the cast of the hit FOX thriller series Sleepy Hollow graced the stage at the Dolby Theatre in the heart of Hollywood.

Taking the stage were cast members Tom Mison (Ichabod Crane himself), Nicole Beharie (Lt. Abbie Mills), Orlando Jones (Captain Frank Irving), Lyndie Greenwood (Jenny Mills) and John Cho (Andy Brooks) as well as executive producers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Len Wiseman, Mark Goffman and Heather Kadin.

The first thing to take away from this panel was the fact that Tom Mison was dressed not like Ichabod Crane, of course, but in what appeared to be skinny jeans – a plot device that was used in one of the latter episodes of the show’s first season when Abbie had Ichabod trying on modern-day clothes. It should be stressed that while MANY of us in the audience believed that was what he was, indeed, wearing, the bearer of said jeans did NOT. In fact, Tom clearly rebuffed any belief by saying that “Tom is not wearing skinny jeans”.

With that out of the way, let’s get into what the cast and creative minds behind one of the most-buzzed-about shows of the fall with one of the most apeshit crazy-type storylines since, well probably Lost, had to say.

Mark Goffman shared their overall excitement over having John Noble (of Fringe and The Lord of the Rings fame) returning as Henry Parrish nee Jeremy Crane next season. And with that return, and the fact that Henry/Jeremy is the second horseman of the apocalypse, Ichabod and Abbie will need to have something or someone in their corner to keep the other two horsemen at bay. That something/someone would seem to be, according to Len Wiseman, a new creature under the control of Ichabbie (the shipper name for the lead characters – more on shipping coming up soon too!), who will hopefully “fight on their side”.

However, the team as it stands now is down one key component – Captain Irving – who was led off in handcuffs in the season finale, taking the blame for the deaths that were caused by the hand of his teenage daughter while she was possessed. His absence will be felt by the team – once they all somehow get out of their own perilous situations that is: Ichabod being buried alive by his son, Jenny seriously injured in that horrible car accident caused by the Headless Horseman and Abbie being trapped in purgatory.

The executive producers shared there will be new faces coming to the town of Sleepy Hollow, both of the not-so-human and human variety with one of the latter being a new authority figure, stepping in for Irving. But fans should be prepared for this new “man in charge” to not be on the side of Ichabod and Abbie.

While they were all quite tight-lipped about what to expect in season two, Mark did share that the first season served as a way for viewers to learn about what was going on with all of the characters in real time while season two will allow them the chance to visit the back-stories of each character. That would apparently include John’s character who has already died several times on the show with Mark sharing, “you can be dead (on Sleepy Hollow) but that doesn’t mean that you’re gone”. To which John heartedly answered, “Yes! If I can come back, let’s do it!”

One of the main draws for the series is the obvious chemistry between Ichabod and Abbie. Despite Ichabod being a married man (and obviously MUCH older than Abbie), there is that undeniable fact that they have feelings for each; perhaps not as romantically inclined as the viewers would like, but feelings none-the-less. The executive producers shared that their chemistry was apparent, in fact, from the casting process. Oddly enough, though, Tom had never heard of the term “shipping” until now and he joked that “it’s a good thing, apparently”; and Nicole chimed in that she understands the fans desire for romance between Ichabod and Abbie because “Tom is a handsome guy. I can imagine that people are watching (and saying) ‘Hook up, already, hook up!’”

When asked by an audience member which was their favorite episode the answers were interesting to hear:

Alex – The Vessel (the one where Irving’s daughter was possessed)
Len – The finale and Necromancer
Mark – The pilot
Heather – The pilot
Tom – Loved all of them, but liked The Midnight Ride
Nicole – The Sin Eater
Orlando – The pilot
Lyndie – The Vessel
John – The pilot and the finale

And as we neared the end of the panel, the final audience question was asking who the panelist would like to see portray the two remaining horseman. The overall answers were Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), Tilda Swinton (The Chronicles of Narnia franchise), Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), legendary actor Clint Eastwood and Idris Elba (Luther and the Thor franchise).

An official return date for Sleepy Hollow has yet to be announced by FOX, but it will be back for season two sometime this fall.

[Photo Credit: Dominick Dusseault]