Once Upon a Time Creators Deny Recasting Sebastian Stan's Role, Discuss Wonderland Spinoff

Exclusive! Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis tease that the spinoff of the ABC hit will be "its own thing" and viewers will not be revisiting Wonderland again this season

Once Upon a Time's Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis are mad for the Mad Hatter!

So mad for him in fact that reports surfaced recently that the duo are creating a spinoff centering on the fan favorite character played by Sebastian Stan, who appeared in six episodes of the ABC fantasy hit. Awesome news, right? Too bad fans were less than thrilled when it was reported that the role would be recasting the role due to scheduling conflicts.

We chatted with Horowitz and Kitsis at PaleyFest 2013 about the possible spinoff, which they clarify is not centered just on Mad Hatter. Plus, they tell us no one is being recast...yet!

"A lot of it has been very premature," Horowitz clarifies of the spinoff and recasting rumors. "We've just been tinkering with some ideas and it's not a Mad Hatter spinoff."

Kitsis adds, "In fact, we don't have plans to recast anyone!"

However, when asked if they have talked to Stan about the spinoff, Kitsis explains, "We knew Sebastian had a limited schedule in the beginning of the year, which is what we said and that hasn't changed. We love Sebastian and we are probably the heads of the Sebastian Stan fan club, but he's in demand. We're not the only ones that love him! Unfortunately, his schedule is nonstop."

So if it's not exactly a Mad Hatter-centric show, what would the potential spinoff be about? "We do have an idea that may or may not take place in Wonderland that will definitely have some new characters," Kitsis teases. "But at this point, it's just kind of us tinkering in the laboratory, so we're kind of trying to keep it secret before we unleash it."

And unlike The Vampire Diaries' spinoff The Originals, which will be introduced on the CW hit in an April episode, viewers will not be seeing Wonderland again on Once Upon a Time anytime soon. Kitsis explains, "This will be kind of its own thing." Horowitz adds, "If we go forward with this, it's probably going to be its own thing and then at the appropriate time we will probably let people know many more details."

Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC.