'The Originals' season 4 news, spoilers: New poster hints dangerous path for Hope; EP reveals Hope's similarities with her parents

"The Originals" returns to the small screen in less than a month, and a new poster for the upcoming fourth season has been released.

Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Hayley's (Phoebe Tonkin) daughter, Hope, takes center stage in the new poster. She appears to be walking barefoot along a dark place with dead ravens lying around. "Evil walks with us... Always and forever," the text in the poster reads.

Season 4 will feature a five-year time jump, so Hope will no longer be a baby when the series returns. Summer Fontana will be the new child actress who will play the role. TV Line recently caught up with executive producer Michael Narducci, and he revealed how Hope takes after her parents.

"She definitely shares her mother's street smarts," the EP said, "but may or may not also display some of her father's temper and willingness to do whatever it takes to protect her family," he added.

The third season left off with all members of the Mikaelson family incapacitated. Klaus was in a coma after Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) stabbed him using the Tunde blade. Freya (Riley Voelkel) lost consciousness after being poisoned, while Rebekah (Claire Holt) was cursed to turn into a ripper. Meanwhile, Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) have been bitten, and a cure for that bite hasn't been discovered yet. It's worth noting that the latter four Mikaelsons have connected their souls through a spell. As a result, they won't wake up until their brother Klaus does.

With the future of the Mikaelsons hanging in the balance, Hayley is their only hope to survive. The upcoming installment will see Hayley on the road doing everything she can to find a cure for their ailments, while Marcel continues to take over New Orleans.

The fourth season of "The Originals" premieres on Friday, March 17, at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.