Nellie Andreeva

I’ve learned that NBC has pushed Wonderland, its drama pilot set in the world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland that is executive produced by CSI creator Anthony Zuiker. The project, written by feature scribe Whit Anderson, will not be produced within the regular pilot season because of the scale and complexity of the production, including visual effects. I hear the pilot probably will start filming before the end of pilot season but will likely not be delivered before summer. Wonderland was a late pickup — it was greenlighted on Jan. 29 — and had to undergo a studio switch after ABC Studios pulled out and Universal TV took over. (The pilot’s high price tag was among ABC Studios’ reasons to bail as it is producing another expensive fairytale drama series with elaborate shoots and special effects, ABC’s Once Upon A Time.)  Speaking of Once Upon A Time, it too was a late order — it was picked up to pilot on Feb. 1, 2011 and was ready for the upfronts, landing a slot of ABC’s fall schedule.

Wonderland is set in modern times and centers on Alice and a new character, Clara. Seven years ago, Clara’s life took an unexplained turn for the worse, and a mysterious stranger tells her there may be an explanation after all… an explanation that lies in the fantastical world of Wonderland. To revive her dreams and get her life back on track, Clara must wage war against Wonderland’s reigning Queen, the woman we once knew as Alice.

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