‘Once Upon A Time’ Wonderland-inspired spin-off moving forward after writers sign overall deal

ABC’s plan to create an Alice in Wonderland-inspired spin-off of Once Upon A Time is moving forward. The network has secured overall deals with writer Zack Estrin (Prison Break) and consulting producer Jane Espenson, who will work with Once Upon A Time creators Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz for the spin-off.

Last month, there were reports that ABC was working on a Mad Hatter-centric spin-off, which was played by Sebastian Stan. However, Deadline is reporting that this idea has been dropped and the Wonderland spin-off will now be told through Alice’s point of view. Alice will be a brand-new character, since she has yet to appear on Once.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the writing/producing team will make a ‘teaser’ presentation for ABC next month, at which point the network can order a pilot. Casting for the main characters, including Alice, has already started.

If ABC doesn’t run with the Once spin-off, Espenson and Estrin will still stay with the network under the overall deal.

Once is currently in its second season. You can check out our most recent recap here.