We got to watch about 20 minutes of the pilot to Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. I really enjoyed it. I have never been a fan of the CGI/Green Screening on OUAT, and this spin-off will require a lot of green screen and CGI, but it seemed better.
We got to meet the cast:
Peter Gadiot as Cyrus/Genie
Sophie Lowe as Alice
Michael Socha as Knave of Hearts
John Lithgow as the voice of the White Rabbit (which was a cute CGI with pink eyes)
Emma Rogby as the Queen of Hearts
and when asked about a possible "JAFAR" character, it was revealed that Naveen Andrews would be Jafar, and out he came to join the panel!
Here are some photos of the panel:
First of all, Peter Gadiot is VERY attractive and very kind. I met him Saturday night.
Here is the clip as I remember it: ***SPOILER ALERT***
Also this is based on memory so I may have the order or some minor details incorrect.
A "bad boy" is in Storybrooke during the finale of OUAT. It is funny he takes a drink and puts down some money, looks around realizing no one is around, takes the money back. There is a cameo from OUAT cast. The rabbit appears and it seems the "bad boy" is needed, but doesn't want to go. He eventually agrees to and jumps down the "porthole"
We also see a "flashback" of wonderland and Alice. At one point she is being chased and shrinks to small size and slips into the Genie's lamp. She says she needs to get "back" with her "proof" that Wonderland is real (She has the rabbit in her sack)
Flash forward and back a few times but essentially Alice and the genie fall in love and the queen of hearts arrives and pushed him over the cliff.
We flash to present time to see Alice in an insane Asylum where she is being questioned about her story of wonderland. Through a series of flashbacks we learn of the genie and what happened.
Back in her "cell" the "bad boy" arrives, we learn he is the Knave of Hearts and he tries to get Alice to leave with him. She won't. He tells her Cyrus (the genie) is alive. She has a kick-ass fight scene where she knocks out the guards, uses her shoes to hit a guard and leave with the Knave.
We also learned that:
- Cheshire cat and Roger daltry will voice hookah smoking caterpillar
- We will learn more about how the Knave has history in Storybrooke (or the enchanted forest rather)
- We will also learn more about Jafar's past
- There will be some twists involving traditional fairy tales and their own twists.
- It will be one complete story within one season, if successful it will continue with another complete story.