This season I’m covering ABC’s new fantasy drama, Once Upon A Time in Wonderland, for voiceoftv.com. I was given the opportunity to see an advance copy of the pilot and I was thrilled, as I am fan of the original parent series, Once Upon A Time.
The new fairy tale, from Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, creators of Lost, Tron Legacy and Zack Estrin, creator of The River, is a love story full of mystery, action, passion and romance all wrapped up in a place called Wonderland following the adventures of Alice (Australian film/television actress) Sophie Lowe.
Once Upon A Time in Wonderland is a show that was first developed as a limited series run. It was to air during the winter season when its parent show Once Upon A Time was on hiatus. It has since gotten a lot of buzz circling around about it. The producers have decided to air Wonderland now during the fall. It will have 13 episodes but if successful could return in the spring with more episodes to look forward to.
They have cast some notable stars, in a few roles, such as John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun, Dexter) as The White Rabbit; Naveen Andrews (Lost) as Jafar; Emma Rigby (British Soap Hollyoaks) as The Red Queen; Michael Socha (Being Human U.K) as The Knave of Hearts; Keith David (film/television, voice actor) as Cheshire Cat and (film/television) actor Peter Gadiot as a genie named Cyrus.
I think it will be exciting to see a new version of Wonderland, we've seen parts of it through Once Upon A Time when we saw Jefferson's story aka The Mad Hatter. It has already been noted actor Sebastian Stan won't be part of the series but could possibly make a cameo later when his acting schedule cools down. But fans have been promised he won't be recast and we will see his character again.
The pilot has a connection to Storybrooke, Maine, which is nice for fans of the parents series. That connection, will only open this world of fairy tales more. I can't give any details away about how it ties into the Storybrooke world but hint, hint, it was from an episode in season 2 of Once Upon A Time.
I think the romance and journey aspect of this Wonderland re-imaging will be interesting and exciting to see. I love the fact that Alice falls in love with a genie. Yet, it is a doomed love that we can compare to Snow and Price Charming's story-line in season one of Once Upon A Time. But with true love they overcame everything and never doubted for a second they could find a way back to one another. I think Alice and Cyrus' love story will be similar in that way.
The series will have a new and younger Queen of Hearts, known this time as The Red Queen, who's out to stop Alice and Cyrus's love affair. She'll have her own agenda in the series. My guess for the recast/character change is that Barbra Hershey and Rose McGowan who both played the older and younger versions of Cora aka The Queen of Hearts on Once Upon A Time were too expensive to cast. However, its something I can over look and not be bothered about.
Another thing I love about this pilot is that its parent series known for having kick-ass women on TV. At first you think Alice is just a scared young lady and doesn't have much going for her. That’s not the case at all. This isn't your normal Alice in Wonderland; she can handle herself in fights and pretty much does more damage than several of the male characters I've seen so far. So I’m looking forward to more of that as the series progresses through the season.
For comedic relief, I'll be watching The Knave of Hearts and The White Rabbit who both have some funny lines in the pilot. I think it's great to add humor in a show that already has action and romance because why not have a little bit of everything. I think the cast will play nicely off one another and I'm excited to see what else is in store for us.
With it airing on ABC, I have a lot of hope for Once Upon A Time In Wonderland. It’s on a network that houses the parent show, in addition, it has already gathered a following before it has even aired. I think everyone enjoys a good fairy tale, it makes them feel like a kid again. Another good thing is with the same creators and producers, we will have some great twists in the fairy tale land of Wonderland that we might not see coming. One example as stated above Alice falls in love with a genie.
Lastly, I will say I look forward to seeing Once Upon A Time In Wonderland on my television screen and the excitement that is waiting for us when it premieres on October 10th.
"Down the Rabbit Hole" was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, Zack Estrin, Jane Espenson and directed by Ralph Hemecker.
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