48 hours after fans of the Disney Plus series Willow said their goodbyes to Elora Dana and the people of Tir Asleen following a trade report of the show’s cancellation, their hopes were suddenly resurrected by showrunner Jonathan Kasdan. In a lengthy message shared on Twitter, Kasdan clarified what’s quite a complicated situation regarding the future of the streaming series.
According to Kasdan, the next season of Willow, which he referred to as Volume II, has already been written and while it’s not headed into pre-production and is not scheduled to start filming over the course of the next year, it does not mean that it will not get made. However, given the fact that the second season of the series is not on the fast track, Kasdan explained that the decision was made to release the cast members to pursue work on other projects until the call for the start of Volume II comes. “If the appetite for more Willow persists, Disney, Lucasfilm and this amazing cast and crew will satisfy it,” said Kasdan.
The Disney Plus streaming series Willow, which served as a sequel to the 1988 cult classic film of the same name, has been cancelled after just one season.
The series saw Warwick Davis return as Willow Ufgood and picked up the story of Elora Danan 20 years after the defeat of Queen Bavmorda. Co-showrunner Jonathan Kasdan worked for years to get the sequel series made, having broached the subject during conversation with Davis and Ron Howard, who directed the original film, during production on Solo: A Star Wars Story.
As Deadline reported, though the series won’t continue, the IP itself remains of interest at Lucasilm; however, as Disney looks to cut back on its programming budget across the board, a second season of Willow wasn’t in the cards.
In 1972 when George Lucas first dreamt up what would eventually become the 1988 film Willow, the foundation of the story was the idea of propping up, in Lucas’ words, “a little guy against the system.” As a fantasy adventure releasing in the wake of giants such as House of the Dragon and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Willow, the Disney Plus streaming series that serves as a legacy sequel to the film, is certainly just as Lucas conceived it. Not nearly as hotly anticipated as House of the Dragon or The Rings of Power, Willow comes to the party as an overlooked underdog that might seem to find itself facing a steep climb to success in comparison to those powerhouses. 50 years later, Willow remains exactly what Lucas envisioned it to be. While it takes a beat to prove its worth and is certainly not made to appeal to the same audience as the House of the Dragon or The Rings of Power, the elements of Willow coalesce into a fun, heavily 80’s-inspired series that finds its own way in the epic fantasy genre.
The series navigates the familiar archetypes of a fantasy quest against a jaw-dropping array of scenery, with each episode moving from one spectacular, even if horrifying, setting to another. Shot in Wales, Willow takes full advantage of the varied geography of the country and some well-used CGI to fully realize the fantastical and familiar settings of Tir Asleen and Nockmaar while introducing some incredible (and spoilery) new places along the way. In terms of production value, Willow delivers from beginning to (almost) end. That extends beyond the settings to character designs that range from truly frightening (The Gales are going to give kids nightmares) to adorable (the mudmander that will give Falkor vibes to any 80’s kid).
As with the settings, Willow’s cast of characters works to find a balance between familiar and new. Warwick Davis returns as High Aldin Willow Ufgood and Joanne Whalley has what amounts to an extended cameo as Sorsha, now the Queen of Tir Asleen who is without the love of her life, Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan. Madmartigan’s black hole-esque absence is central to the series’ main plot as it can be measured by the effect it has on those around it. No one feels the effects of it more than his children, Kit and Airk Tanthalos, played by Ruby Cruz and Dempsy Bryk, respectively. The children of Madmartigan feel both familiar to the character-Kit, as a restless adventurer, and Airk, as a prolific lover of ladies-but incomplete as they strive to find their own ways. They’re joined in the cast by fellow newbies Erin Kellyman as Jade, Ellie Bamber as Dove, Tony Revelori as Graydon Hastur and Amar Chada-Patel as Thraxus Boorman. Much like the audience, most of these new characters may have only an inkling of an idea of who the great sorcerer Willow is, making it easy for newcomers to the story to catch up along with them. While Davis brings so much more to the role than he did as a 17-year-old in 1988, it’s the young cast of characters that propels the plot from its center.
The center of that plot is, of course, a quest that not only puts the heroes in peril but also forces them to examine who they truly are. Without delving too far into spoilers, it’s fair to say that each of Willow’s new heroes questions who they are along the way and that each of them come to find out that they are not necessarily who they thought they were going to be.
It’s no coincidence that the executive producer and head writer of a series that features people stepping out of the shadow of their father and discovering who they truly are is executive producer and writer Jonathan Kasdan. Just like the fellowship taking on the quest, the series takes time to find narrative coherence and that may be, in part, because Kasdan is undertaking a quest of his own, finding himself in the same way the new group of heroes does. Like Kit and Airk, Kasdan finds his way out from the shadow of a larger than life father (legendary screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan) over the course of the series. Like Kit and Airk, the series comes complete with echoes of the works of Kasdan the Elder (fans of Indiana Jones will find themselves reminded of some classic scenes); however, those echoes don’t define Kit and Airk nor do they define Willow. Rather like the heroes on the quest, Kasdan finds his own way while embracing the influence of the works of his father and others in the genre.
It’s in respecting and understanding the genre, and the giants that built it, that Kasdan manges to build a series that while reminiscent of so many classics becomes content being its own thing. Each episode of Willow features exactly the kind of swashbuckling action fans of fantasy adventures would hope to see; each episode of Willow features some sort of dialogue of side quest that deepens the overall lore of the series; each episode of Willow features chivalry, honor and love. But the strength of the story is that in any given episode, any one of the fellowship may find himself/herself moving through the familiar tropes. Willow is not the traditional quest of one central hero surrounded by companions; in fact, the series provides enough time for each character to wear both titles.
Willow continuously plays with the familiar tropes of the genre in ways that are both reflective of the 1988 film and imbued with a sense of modernity. Want a swashbuckling knight who falls in love with a princess? Willow has it. Want crusty trolls? Willow has them. Want terrifying Bone Reavers? Willow has them, too. However, Willow, much like the Nelwyn sorcerer for whom it is named, has plenty of tricks up its sleeve and, if given a chance, will come to surprise you. As has been shown over the past decade or so, success is not a given for a legacy sequel. Jonathan Kasdan seemed to be well-aware that any attempt at a successful sequel to 1988’s Willow, a cult classic whose charm has grown over the years, would have to be earned. He did so by cleverly balancing the series between the past and the present, putting together a series that while slow to start, will have fans anticipating the next installment by the end of Episode 3. Willow is a worthy successor to the film that, just like its delightful bunch of young heroes, carves its own path through familiar territory.
Legacy sequels are all the rage in Hollywood. While there’s no shortage of new IPs heading to theaters or streaming networks, audiences are delighting in nostalgic projects such as Top Gun: Maverick, Cobra Kai and Scream (2022). Not every legacy project, has landed with fans, however, and what often seems to be the tipping point is finding a balance between what made fans fall in love with the property in the first place and moving the story along in an unpredictable direction. For Jon Kasdan, the executive producer and writer of the upcoming Disney Plus streaming series, Willow, finding that sweet spot wasn’t necessarily easy.
“You know, that… it’s the challenge,” said Kasdan of balancing the fantastical nature of the 1988 film with an updated, contemporary tone. According to Kasdan, that became the key challenge of putting together the series, “With every episode you’re sort of walking the line between, between making it familiar and satisfying what fans expect from the brand ‘Willow,’ and then trying to push it forward and tell a story that’s surprising and unexpected.”
And you know, the great weapon we had with us was Warwick, who just lent the whole universe of ‘Willow’ credibility, and the moment you see him on screen, you suddenly believe these six other foolish kids could somehow fit into that world, and really inhabit it. And they did so so beautifully and with such gusto and enthusiasm. And authenticity, that it was sort of an amazing thing to watch all these things come together, and become something that feels like a progression from the movie as much as a love letter to it.
Jon Kasdan
Fans will have a chance to judge just how well-balanced the series is when Willow begins streaming on Disney Plus tomorrow!
The upcoming Disney Plus streaming series Willow serves as a direct sequel to the 1988 film of the same name. The series introduces a slew of young, new characters and while the main focus of the plot is a quest that features the new group, the series is still very much connected to the film and includes the return of several characters from it. Warwick Davis, who was just 17 years old when he first played Willow Ufgood, and Joanne Whalley, both of whom shared the bulk of the screentime of the film with Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan, are back to reprise their roles. Despite Kilmer’s iconic hero not being able to return, one other memorable character does make a return for Willow: the roguish Brownie Rool, played by Kevin Pollack.
Rool was one of a pair of Brownies tasked by Cherlindrea with accompanying Willow to Tir Asleen to safely deliver Elora Danan. Rool shared quite a few scenes with Willow during the course of the film, but interestingly enough, as revealed during the global press junket for the upcoming series, the two actors had never met.
As Jon Kasdan explained, the effects necessary for the Brownie scenes in Willow required them to be shot in a different location, so it wasn’t until production on the series got underway that Davis and Pollak finally met for the first time.
There was a… there was an incredible thing that happened where we got our friend Kevin Pollak out to reprise his role as Rool. And he told me when he arrived that he and Warwick had never actually done any scenes together, because all of the brownie bits in the movie had been filmed on, at Skywalker in Northern California. And Warwick and he got to actually riff off each other, and Tony got to be a part of that, and it was quite an amazing thing to kind of watch them actually interact, these old friends who didn’t know each other.
Jon Kasdan
With so much time having passed since the events of the original, neither Willow nor Rool are quite in the same places they were the last time they were seen. Fans of the original will certainly get a kick out of the changes to Pollak’s character when Willow begins streaming on Disney Plus on November 30th.
During the global press event for Willow, Kasdan explained that the real meat of the series came from a question about the character around whom the events of the first movie transpired: Elora Danan. “Well it evolved really out of the conversations that Ron (Howard) and I had on the set of ‘Solo’“, said Kasdan of how the story for the Willow series came to be. Continuing on, Kasdan made it clear that the fate of the baby who was destined to become empress was a must have, saying, “and one thing we always knew was sort of at the core of it was, who… what became of Elora Danan?We thought that that was a subject with a lot of promise.“
The events of 1988’s Willow saw the evil Queen Bavmorda’s plot to banish the spirit of Elora Danan, who was prophesied to dethrone her, thwarted by Willow and his friends. The film ends with Elora safely in the hands of Sorsha and Willow back in his village. According to Kasdan, the farewell between Willow and Elora didn’t sit well with him when he saw the film as child:
The movie ended with a sort of bittersweet moment of Warwick kissing this baby and then saying, ‘okay, goodbye, I’ll never see you again.’ And as an eight-year-old I was sort of like, well what is… you mean, they’re not going to live together and they’re not going to have a life together? And how is she going to find out about all this stuff that happened to her?
Jon Kasdan
30 years and change later, that bittersweet feeling and the questions of a curious child turned into the beginnings of a streaming series with an epic scope. Certainly, a child of Elora’s immense potential would continue to need protecting and as Kasdan explained, once it was clear she was going to be the core of the story, more questions about Elora and her safety came up.
And that felt like a great jumping-off place for a series, and we knew we wanted this question sort of right in line with that, we knew we wanted this question about, who was protecting her and was perhaps the best way to protect her not telling her who she was?
Jon Kasdan
What became of Elora Danan? See for yourself when Willow streams on Disney Plus beginning November 30th.
The upcoming Disney Plus series, Willow is a nostalgic return to the fantastical lands of Tir Asleen and Galadoorn and the characters who inhabit it. The series is a direct sequel to the 1988 film of the same name and set 20 years after the events of it saw the evil Queen Bavmorda defeated by a band of people that included Willow and The Greatest Swordsman that ever lived, Madmartigan. However, while Warwick Davis returned to the role of Willow Ufgood in the series, there’s no sign of Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan, who played such an integral role in the film. During the global press conference for the upcoming series, Willow writer and executive producer Jon Kasdan talked about how Madmartigan’s absence helped shape the series into its final form.
For Kasdan, the absence of the original film’s co-lead wasn’t a roadblock so much as the way to expand on his story by showing the impact it had on others, including his two children Kit and Airk, played by Ruby Cruz and Dempsey Bryk, respectively.
It was always sort of going to be, right at the core of the story we were, we were telling. And it really had to be… but because we were telling a story that had so many young characters, and they were all sort of searching for their identity, the search for Madmartigan, and the question of what had happened to him was right at the heart of the story we were telling. And we knew that it would be woven into this quest in a fundamental way, really, to see where he was and what had become of him, and what he’d given up. Particularly for Ruby’s character, Kit, and for Dempsey’s character, Airk, in order to do good.
Jon Kasdan
Both Kit and Airk have taken their father’s near life-long absence from their lives very differently and when your father is the legendary Madmartigan, the hole left by his absence is a big one. Indeed according to Kasdan, it’s something the young heroes will deal with for the entire season.
And that question sort of follows the whole season. And we always knew that we sort of wanted to pay it off in one way or another, and we had a lot of ideas about ways to pay it off and ways to leave it open.
Jon Kasdan
Though he’s not in the series, the tales of his deeds and adventures certainly play a large role thanks, in part, to the addition of a new character to the franchise. Amar Chada-Patel plays Thraxus Boorman, a warrior who shared an adventure or two with the Daikini Lady Lover and who Kasdan says was created out of need when Kilmer wasn’t able to be on set. And according to Kasdan, it provided an unexpected boost to the series.
And one thing that happened, because Val himself wasn’t able to come out to Wales and work with us, was that we were a- we added this texture of a friend of Madmartigan’s, who could give us some clues about his whereabouts. And… and deepened the mystery around what happened to him, in a way that only actually extended the story we were already telling. So it was very satisfying, and it sort of prevented… it provided an opportunity for us to add a whole new element that we didn’t expect to the show.
Jon Kasdan
Fans of Kilmer’s character shouldn’t despair at the star’s absence from the series, however, According to Kasdan, he and Davis are just as eager for his return as fans.
Madmartigan is still out there, I mean, I have had many conversations with everyone involved, and our feeling is, he is, he is out there to be found, should the day arrive. And I think Warwick and I would both love to see him pick up that sword again.
Jon Kasdan
Where is Madmartigan? What took him away from his family? Find out when Willow begins streaming November 30th on Disney Plus.
1988’s Willow was a dark fantasy adventure dreamt up by a young George Lucas in 1972 before he ever put pen to paper for Star Wars. In 1986, the project began to come together with director Ron Howard, writer Bob Dolman and Lucas developing the script. Somewhere along the way, likely due to Dolman’s comedic chops, Willow became a far funnier fantasy film than contemporaries such as Kull and Labyrinth. Though it wasn’t a critical success, Willow developed a cult following and a fanbase that clamored for a sequel for over 30 years. That sequel will soon debut on Disney Plus and according to one of its stars, the spirit of the original lives on in the streaming series.
During the global press conference for the upcoming streaming series, Warwick Davis, who reprises his role as Willow Ufgood, writer Jon Kasdan was able to embue Willow with the same sense of humor as the original.
It’s important that we took that kind of ethos from the film, the humor, because that’s what really set ‘Willow’ apart from the other fantasy offerings of the 80s, was that it could look at itself and laugh and not take itself seriously. But also, as well as being a great kind of fantasy writer and sci-fi writer, Jon is also a very good comic writer as well.
Warwick Davis
While the 1988 film certainly wasn’t a full-on slapstick comedy, it was filled with laughs, often at the expense of Willow’s struggles with magic. In an attempt to recapture that magic, Dolman returned to write two episodes of the upcoming streaming series. Unfortunately, another source of comedic relief, Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan, is mysteriously absent from the series, though his presence is certainly felt throughout. The series is certainly much more light-hearted in tone than what fans have come accustomed to seeing in recent fantasy series such as Game ofThrones and The Rings of Power while still finding a nice balance of action as fans will find out for themselves when it begins streaming on Disney Plus on November 30th.
2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story didn’t truly land with audiences or critics. More than that, it seems to have inspired Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s decision not to recast iconic roles. Having done so unsuccessfully with one of Harrison Ford’s most iconic roles, Kennedy refuses to do it again even as Ford’s last adventure as Indiana Jones prepares to hit theaters, choosing to create an Indy-adjacent streaming series for Disney Plus rather than misfire on another recast. However, not all the takeaways from Solo were negative; in fact, it turns out that some behind-the-scenes conversations during its production were the genesis of the Disney Plus streaming series Willow.
During the global press conference for the upcoming series, star Warwick Davis, who first starred as Willow Ufgood when he was 17 years old, shared his belief that despite many attempts to get a follow-up to the 1988 movie off the ground, it would never happen. “For years it’s been talked about, not by anyone official but by the fans“, said Davis. “They’ve constantly pestered me“, he continued, “saying ‘when are we going to see a sequel to that movie?’ And it’s a question that I could never answer.”
A question, Davis says, he wasn’t able to answer until fate intervened. A Willow sequel seemed impossible for the star “Until I met Jon Kasdan“, said Davis of the writer and executive producer of the Willow streaming series. It turns out Kasdan, the son of frequent Lucasfilm collaborator Lawrence Kasdan who also worked on the script for Solo. As it turned out, Kasdan the younger was a fan of the Willow film as a kid and, according to Davis, joined him in feeling the time was right for a sequel series.
We decided that there should indeed be more ‘Willow,’ and so that was the catalyst for this project to happen, really, and it happened very quickly in Hollywood terms. You know, it wasn’t years and years of development, before I knew it I was sat on set, in Wales for the very first day of filming. Once again looking just like ‘Willow, but a slightly older, more mature, better-looking version. Sexier.
Warwick Davis
Of course, it didn’t hurt the chances of a follow-up happening that the conversations about it happened on the set of Solo, where Ron Howard, who directed Willow, was helming the Star Wars origin story. According to Kasdan, the three of them formed a triumvirate that believed there was more story to tell.
There was the impulse certainly between Ron and Warwick and myself to continue this story, and return to this world. And I came at it as a fan, and they came at it both as the creators, and they found a champion in me, and I kept fighting and sort of hoping that we’d get a chance to go back here, and my ace was always that Warwick would be back and that he would look so attractive and America would – and the world – would really fall on their knees. I think everyone got that, and everyone appreciated that, that there was something really special in the opportunity to bring this character back to the screen.
Jon Kasdan
Fans of the original film will have a chance to decide for themselves how necessary the sequel series is when Willow streams on Disney Plus beginning November 30th.
D23 is kicking off with a storm as Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy not only focuses on what the future of Star Wars has in store for us but also on their other projects. Among them is the highly anticipated fantasy epic Willow which will continue the iconic classic starring Warwick Davis. As it turns out, they had one more cast member to announce as Christian Slater, who also recently joined the Disney+ series Spiderwick Chronicles, will have a role in the fantasy series.
WILLOW: Warwick Davis introduces Christian Slater as part of the cast.
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