Time to load up on blackroot, because "Willow" is back on Disney+. Will the
original stars return? Who's behind the new series? We've got the answers.
At the 2020 Disney Investor Day event on December 10, 2020,
the company revealed that the "Willow" sequel series would premiere sometime
in 2022. The exact date was revealed in a teaser unveiled at Star Wars Celebration
in May 2022. Text on screen noted it will premiere on November 30, 2022 on Disney+.
The first season of the "Willow" series will consist of eight episodes,
according to IMDb. They'll air on Wednesday nights beginning November 30,
taking the place of "Andor" in the Disney+ release schedule.
It's not clear yet if Disney plans for more "Willow" beyond this season,
or if the story will end after just one.
In a May 2019 appearance on MTV's "Happy Sad Confused" podcast,
Ron Howard confirmed that original Willow star Warwick Davis would reprise his role
as the kind-hearted farmer and aspiring sorcerer Willow Ufgood.
"Warwick is so cool and so good, and just, he's such a good actor."
The swordsman Madmartigan, who was played by Val Kilmer in the original, won't be returning.
However, at the D23 Expo in September 2022, Disney revealed that Christian Slater would
be playing Madmartigan's friend – although the character's name hasn't yet been specified.
Joanne Whalley will be reprising her role as Sorsha, the warrior daughter
of Queen Bavmorda. Kevin Pollak and Rick Overton will also be reprising
their roles as Rool and Franjean, according to Entertainment Weekly.
They'll be joined by Ruby Cruz, who's playing Sorsha's daughter Kit; Erin Kellyman,
who's playing Kit's companion and a knight-in-training named Jade;
Amar Chadha-Patel, who's playing the thief Boorman; Ellie Bamber as the kitchen maid Dove;
Ralph Ineson as Commander Ballantine; Charlie Rawes as Toth; Adwoa Aboah as Scorpia; Alexis
Rodney as Lachlan; Kenny Knight as Keene; and Warwick Davis' daughter Annabelle as Mims.
Other cast members in unspecified roles include: Rosabell Laurenti Sellers,
Tony Revolori, Dempsey Bryk, and Talisa Garcia.
The "Willow" TV series is created by Jonathan Kasdan, who wrote the pilot and is also the
show's co-showrunner along with Wendy Mericle. Kasdan is also credited as the writer of the
first season's last two episodes. Kasdan also co-wrote the screenplay for "Solo:
A Star Wars Story," and wrote and directed the films "The First Time" and "In the Land of Women."
Mericle was the showrunner for The CW's "Arrow," and was co-executive
producer on the Disney+ show "Big Shot." She's written and produced several other TV series.
The first two episodes of the series were directed by Stephen Woolfenden. Woolfenden
was the second-unit director on all three "Fantastic Beasts" movies, as well as four
of the "Harry Potter" films. He also has 15 TV directing credits going back to 2005.
The directors of the following episodes have yet to be announced. Ron Howard,
who directed the original 1988 film, is an executive producer.
Howard has suggested that with Davis returning as the title character,
fans will get to see a "more mature" side to the hero. The sequel series will take place
approximately 30 years after the movie, and Howard indicated on the "Happy Sad
Confused" podcast that the show will be a "continuation" of the film's story. The
end of the film saw Willow obtain a magic book that would help him on his journey to becoming
a sorcerer after so bravely protecting the baby from the Queen and her evil forces.
What we know about the story so far is that it begins when Kit,
the daughter of Sorsha and a princess, gathers a group of friends to search for Willow,
who is indeed now a sorcerer. They need his help because Kit's twin brother,
a prince, has been kidnapped. Once Willow agrees, he promises a grand journey.
"We must go beyond the edge of our world."
In addition to the May 2022 teaser,
Disney released a full-length trailer at D23 in September. The trailer starts
off with our hero Kit revealing what likely promises to be a major theme of the series.
"You think you know what is real and what isn't. What is light,
what is dark. Now, forget all you know and come with me."
Kit and her companions travel a long way to find Willow and beg him to join their mission,
because they need his magic. We then get some glimpses of returning characters,
including Sorsha, Rool, and Franjean.
Next, Willow makes clear the stakes of their situation. A powerful,
as-yet-unknown enemy is out there marshaling the forces of evil,
and only Willow and his companions can stop it. Willow uses a flamethrower at one point.
The trailer ends with another of the show's themes. When the villain challenges Willow
to explain how he's going to defeat them, Willow responds he'll do it the same way as last time:
"With my friends."
The original "Willow" had a PG rating for its fantasy violence. Common Sense Media calls it
appropriate for children ages 10 and up. The movie can, at times, be quite dark. After all,
it's about an evil queen who sends an entire army to kill a baby. Along the way, Willow,
Madmartigan, Sorsha and the gang battle all kinds of fantasy creatures, often dismembering them.
"What's going on?"
"Smells like a battle."
Will the sequel series have similarly violent moments? At this point, it's unclear. But it will
be chock full of scary monsters, so parents with really young children might want to sit this one
out. Kids who can handle the original movie should probably be fine watching the series, though.
If you bought a Disney+ subscription so you can check out the "Willow" sequel series,
here's some good news: the streaming platform also includes the 1988 movie.
If you don't yet have a Disney+ subscription, the original "Willow" is available for rental
or purchase on several other streaming platforms. If you prefer physical media,
"Willow" is also available on Blu-ray and DVD. The 30th anniversary edition of the
movie was released in early 2019, and includes all-new title artwork.