‘Lost’ star Naveen Andrews cast as Jafar in ‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’
Naveen Andrews has joined Once Upon a Time in Wonderland as the Aladdan villain Jafar, showrunners announced at SDCC.
The news was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con during the show’s panel in front of fans. Wonderland is a spin off of the popular ABC drama Once Upon a Time. Andrews made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con to mark the reveal.
Andrews is well known at ABC for his role on Lost as Sayid.
“I’m proud and thrilled to be back with ABC on an exciting and unique new show!” said Andrews in a statement. “This role will be a real departure from any animated versions because of the layered emotions and complexities involved with making him a real three-dimensional character.”
Co-creator Eddy Kitsis described Jafar as a “very, very, very evil villain” and said their take on the character will be “very frightening.”
Also detailed was that the entire Wonderland story will be told in one year.
The season will explore why Jafar is evil. Alice is a “kick ass” character who is seeking her lost love who is a genie named Cyrus, showrunners say.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland premieres Thursday, October 10 at 8 p.m. eastern on ABC.
