Over the year’s we’ve been tracking the potential for a sequel to Lucasfilm’s action-fantasy adventure film Willow. It’s beloved by legions of fans (including The Disney Blog family). The action picked up once Disney purchased Lucasfilm with various actors and producers on the film mentioning how much they’d like to see a sequel.
As recently as May of this year, word got out that a series was in development for Disney+. This month, in an interview with the LA Times, Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy revealed that Jonathan Kasdan (screenwriter for Solo: A Stat Wars Story) is working on a script for a television pilot for a Willow-based series.
Willow was created by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard. It starred Warwick Davis (Star Wars) in the title role, Val Kilmer as the warrior Madmartigan, and Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, and Billy Barty. The fantasy film featured many of the same themes as Star Wars with a battle between good and evil and the hero’s journey for it’s lead character.
Director Ron Howard and Warwick Davis have both said they’d be willing to return and work on future Willow projects. Hopefully they’d be able to get some of the other cast to make a Billy Dee Williams (Lando) in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker level of return, if not more.
Fans of Willow might remember the trilogy of novels set in the world of Willow that were released by George Lucas and writer Chris Claremont (Uncanny X-men). Shadow Moon, Shadow Dawn, and Shadow Star are set about 15 years after the movie and feature the baby Elora as a young teen in the lead role. Of course, the author disposes of much of the original cast before the book event starts, so if you want to see some of your favorites return, a new expanded universe might be required.
Would you like to see Willow get “The Mandalorian” treatment from Disney+? Expand the universe a bit, come up with a new McGuffin to chase, but still make it feel related to the original movie? I always thought that Willow had the potential to be a Lord of the Rings style story universe for Disney to explore. We know Disney is on the hunt for more fantasy franchises as they search for something that might become the next Game of Thrones.
What do you say Willow fans? Are you hopeful for a TV series for our beloved characters?
Previously: Willow available on home video and DVD in 30th anniversary edition.