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Tag: willow

  • Willow Sequel Series Officially in the Works for Disney+, Warwick Davis to Return

    Willow Sequel Series Officially in the Works for Disney+, Warwick Davis to Return

    Today, Disney officially announced that George Lucas’ fantasy adventure Willow is getting a new sequel series on Disney Plus.

    Disney has confirms the series takes place years after the events of the original Ron Howard-directed pic and it is heading into production next year.

    Howard is returning to the project as executive producer alongside original star Warwick Davis, who will once again play the titular hero Willow Ufgood. Director Jon M. Chu, who will helm the pilot and executive produce, made the announcement on Twitter as you can see in the tweet below:

    “Willow” the series hails from Lucasfilm and represents the company’s first non-“Star Wars” venture since 2015. The show will introduce all-new characters to the magical realm of fairy queens and two-headed Eborsisk monsters. News of the official greenlight from Disney Plus comes over a year after the project was first reported as coming down the pipeline.

    The original film centered on Davis’ Willow, who reluctantly forced into playing a critical role in protecting a special infant named Elora Danan from an evil queen (Jean Marsh). A prophecy told that Elora would bring the queen’s downfall. Willow was helped along the way by a mercenary swordsman, played by Val Kilmer. It also starred Joanne Whalley, Billy Barty and Kevin Pollak.

    “Growing up in the’80s, ‘Willow’ has had a profound effect on me,” said Chu in a statement. “The story of the bravest heroes in the least likely places allowed me, an Asian-American kid growing up in a Chinese restaurant looking to go to Hollywood, to believe in the power of our own will, determination and of course, inner magic. So the fact that I get to work with my heroes from Kathleen Kennedy to Ron Howard is bigger than a dream come-true. It’s a bucket-list moment for me. Jon Kasdan and Wendy Mericle have added such groundbreaking new characters and delightful surprises to this timeless story that I can’t wait for the world to come along on this epic journey with us.”

    Bob Dolman, writer of the original film, serves as consulting producer, with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy on board as an EP alongside Michelle Rejwan. Howard’s Imagine Television is producnig, with the company’s Roopesh Parekh and Hannah Friedman in place as co-executive producers. Julia Cooperman will produce.

  • “Willow” Sequel Talks Confirmed By Director Ron Howard

    “Willow” Sequel Talks Confirmed By Director Ron Howard

    Ron Howard will be leaving his mark on a galaxy far far away when “Solo: A Star Wars Story” hits theaters next week, but Howard has worked with Lucasfilm before.  Back in 1988, Howard directed the epic fantasy film “Willow” and now he has confirmed that there have actually been discussions on making a sequel to the cult classic.

    Nearly three decades to the day later, Howard is talking about the possibility of a sequel and what direction the potential film might go in. Howard reveals that the story for the sequel would focus on the character Elora Danan, the infant that Willow comes across in the original film.

    “I don’t want to give away too much, but there is a little talk of Willow. We wouldn’t call it Willow 2, I think it would focus a lot on Elora Danan, although Willow would have to be significantly involved.” Howard told ComicBook.com in a recent interview.

    George Lucas produced the film which starred Val Kilmer as the mercenary Madmartigan and Warwick Davis as Willow. Davis played the eponymous lead character and hero: a reluctant farmer who plays a critical role in protecting a special baby from a tyrannical queen who vows to destroy her and take over the world.

    In the interview Howard also said that experience informed a lot of his decisions while working on the Han Solo spinoff movie.

    “I thought about that movie a lot as I was working on Solo because there are certain scenes, especially around some of the Madmartigan stuff, was reminiscent of a character with that kind of swagger and bravado. And also some of the humor around some of the action in Willow was something I inspired to get into Solo.”

    Of course there is no word yet on if these talks will actually lead to film development, but for fans of the film its great news. Howard has teased a Willow sequel in the past, but with the slew of remakes and reboots that Hollywood is seeing it seems like the timing couldn’t be better. The film was anything but a flop as it raked more than $57 million at the box office domestically. It’s a classic 80’s movie and if you haven’t seen it then you should check it out.

    For now while we ponder if this fantasy will become a reality, fans can see Howard’s latest film Solo: A Star Wars Story in theaters on May 25th.