[This video contains a spoiler for the “Once Upon a Time” episode that aired on February 17.]
When news broke two weeks ago that the creators of “Once Upon a Time” were mulling a possible spinoff built around the Mad Hatter character, only without original actor Sebastian Stan, there was minor tumult amongst the show’s passionate fans.
“Once Upon a Time” creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis are “Lost” veterans, so they know the advantages and disadvantages of a passionate audience all too well.
When I talked with the guys on the PaleyFest red carpet on Sunday, they accentuated the positives that come from having viewers always trying to guess your every move. But when it comes to the Mad Hatter spinoff, they emphasized a common point.
“It was very premature. To be honest, it was the two of us in our laboratory, but in today’s world, whatever’s in your laboratory gets out. We don’t have plans to recast anyone and spinoff is premature,” Kitsis says.
In the conversation, posted above, Kitsis and Horowitz hint a bit more about what they were cooking up on that laboratory, but they take great pains to share their appreciation for the busy Sebastian Stan.
“We love Sebastian,” Kitsis raves. “If we could make him a regular, I would fly anywhere [in] the world to do it. We knew when we got him that he had movie after movie and everyone loved him.”
More spinoff talk and Sebastian Stan love above, plus a big hint regarding the arcing of the second “Once Upon a Time” season.
Check it out!