ABC Mulls <i>Once Upon a Time</i> Spinoff, Recasts Mad Hatter

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ABC Mulls Once Upon a Time Spinoff, Recasts Mad Hatter

By TJ Diestch

Published Feb 25, 2013

Once Upon a Time is recasting the Mad Hatter role because of Sebastian Stan's Marvel commitments, even as ABC considers whether to spin off the character into his own series.

Even as ABC considers a spinoff of Once Upon a Time focusing on the Mad Hatter, the network is on the lookout for a new actor to play the part.

The Live Feed reports that Sebastian Stan, who's had a recurring role since last year, won't be returning, apparently because of his commitments to Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Stan appeared as Bucky Barnes in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, and will have a significantly larger part in the sequel.

It's certainly inconvenient for ABC and its fairy-tale drama, but turnabout is fair play: After all, Marvel had to recast the role of Fandral in Thor: The Dark World last year because of Josh Dallas' commitment to Once Upon a Time.The spinoff is reportedly in the early stages, with ABC still deciding whether to approach the project as a backdoor pilot. A series would be targeted for fall 2013.