We’ve seen glimpses of Wonderland on Once Upon A Time in the past, and this Fall, ABC will be introducing a spin-off appropriately titled Once Upon A Time In Wonderland that will explore more of that world, through the eyes of Alice, played by Sophie Lowe. The spin-off will air on Thursdays at 8PM starting on Thursday, October 10.
The cast and producers appeared in a panel session today at the Television Critics Association press tour, and explained how this new Once will fit in with its parent show.
“We saw a bit of Wonderland through the Mad Hatter story and, obviously, the Queen of Hearts,” Executive Producer Edward Kitsis says. “We really loved Wonderland, and we felt like we didn’t show you Alice in a lot of the world. So, for us, we think this show has its own mythology that is really not dependent upon the mother ship,” he says, however pointing out that they would like to have Barbara Hershey’s Queen Of Hearts on the spin-off at some point. Elements from various Alice stories will come into play, with expected Once twists.
“[We’re] honoring what came before and then kind of leaping off and trying to do our own spin and have as much fun with it as we can,” Adam Horowitz adds.
“You will see that we have the Hookah‑Smoking Caterpillar,” Kitsis promises. “We have John Lithgow as the White Rabbit, and you will see the Cheshire Cat in the pilot. But of course, we’re telling our own story because Alice was never in love with a genie before,” he teases.
One lingering question about Once connections is also whether or not we will see Sebastian Stan’s Mad Hatter in Wonderland. “We literally run his fan club,” Edward Kitsis admits. “But his schedule is so packed. We would move heaven and earth to let him come back on either show. He’s doing Captain America now, and with our schedule for Wonderland, I don’t know if they are going to match up,” Kitsis admits.
“We’ve had to design this first season with the reality that he probably is not available. There is an open door if he is ever available and wants to do it. We would happily bring him in and if the show continues on and he’s willing. No one would be more thrilled.,” Horowitz promises. One thing is for sure: If we ever do see the character, he will be played by Sebastian Stan.
“We are never going to have a Mad Hatter that isn’t played by Sebastian. So we are not recasting him. We are just going to keep that seat empty until he’s able to come back,” Kitsis assures.
Once Upon A Time In Wonderland premieres October 10 on ABC. Read some more about the show and see some photos and trailers here at KSiteTV!
