‘Once Upon a Time’ season 2 spoilers: Clarification on Mad Hatter spin-off rumors

So are we really going to be seeing a “Once Upon a Time” spin-off series coming up featuring the Mad Hatter … and will he be played by someone other than Sebastian Stan? When this rumor first hit the internet last month, it amounted to pretty much the equivalent of a thousands heads exploding. Stan is one of the more beloved actors on the series, and even though he has a very busy schedule that could keep him from starring in a full-time project, the public outcry to the initial story pretty much confirmed that nobody really wants to see a show that features anyone other than Stan in the role.

As you may know already from the show’s upfront presentation at PaleyFest, there are no plans to recast Stan or any character, despite the initial rumors; so what does that mean for the spin-off? According to Entertainment Weekly, executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis are planning to send out some sort of test footage later this year. However, this is not going to be for any sort of ordinary series:

“But the idea is not a spin-off in the traditional sense — another five-year, 22-episode series … It’s much more in the vein of an American Horror Story, with a beginning, middle, and end.”

Could a Mad Hatter miniseries work? Definitely, and it is something that Stan (if he can find time to do it) knows very well already courtesy of his work on USA’s “Political Animals” last summer. This could be something that he could commit to far more easily than a complete series, and it would also give us an opportunity to learn so much more about his character.

Do you think this idea is particularly promising? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below, and you can read some more spoilers regarding Cora and Rumpelstiltskin by heading on over to the link here.

Photo: ABC