Willow Is Officially Coming To Disney+
George Lucas’s Willow is officially coming to the small screen according to a piece that came out today in Variety. Disney Plus confirmed the sequel series saying that it will take place year’s after the events in the Ron Howard directed epic film. Disney also said that Howard will be returning to the film as executive producer and Warwick Davis will be reprising his role as Willow Ufgood.
The pilot episode will apparently be directed and executive produced by by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians.) Jonathan Kasdan (Solo) and Wendy Mericle (Arrow) will be the showrunners.
Willow the series will introduce brand new characters in this George Lucas fantasy tale featuring fairy queens and two-headed Eborsisk monsters! Disney’s official confirmation about the project comes nearly a year after rumors first started that Disney had set its sights on the franchise.
The original film followed Willow who was forced into serving as guardian over an infant named Elora Danan and protected her from an evil queen. A prophecy foretold that Elora would overthrow the queen. Along the way Willow was helped by a mercenary played by Val Kilmer. The original piece also starred Joanne Whalley, Billy Barty and Kevin Pollak.
Chu had this to say regarding his involvement in the project, “Growing up in the’80s, ‘Willow’ has had a profound effect on me.” The director continued, “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 will be returning as a consulting producer, with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy on board as an EP alongside Michelle Rejwan. Howard’s Imagine Television is producing, with the company’s Roopesh Parekh and Hannah Friedman in place as co-executive producers. Julia Cooperman will produce.
Howard shared his enthusiasm for the project saying, “It’s creatively exciting to not only revisit the world and characters first conceived by George Lucas, Bob Dolman and myself but to see it take flight in such fresh, fun and cinematic ways through the imagination of Jon Kasdan and Team Willow.” He continued, “This isn’t a nostalgic throwback, it’s a creative lean-forward and it’s a blast to be a part of it all.”
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Source: Variety