Willow — the beloved fantasy property created by George Lucas — is officially coming back, though this time on the small screen. Today Disney+ announced it has given the green light to a new sequel series.
The Willow series will feature original director Ron Howard serving as executive producer, with Warwick Davis reprising his role as the titular hero Willow Ufgood. However, it does not appear co-star Val Kilmer will return for the series.
The show is set to head into production next year, and its pilot will be directed by Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker Jon M. Chu. For showrunners, we have Jonathan Kasdan (Solo) and Wendy Mericle (Arrow) guiding Willow.
Adding even more ties to the original film, the Willow series will come from Lucasfilm, making it the company's first non-Star Wars project since 2015.
While show details are still shaping up, it promises to introduce us to a bunch of new characters, including two-headed Eborsisk monsters.
"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."
Howard added, "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. This isn't a nostalgic throw-back, it's a creative lean-forward and it's a blast to be a part of it all."
News of the project was first reported last year, though the series was only given the go-ahead today.
The Willow series will feature original director Ron Howard serving as executive producer, with Warwick Davis reprising his role as the titular hero Willow Ufgood. However, it does not appear co-star Val Kilmer will return for the series.
The show is set to head into production next year, and its pilot will be directed by Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker Jon M. Chu. For showrunners, we have Jonathan Kasdan (Solo) and Wendy Mericle (Arrow) guiding Willow.
Adding even more ties to the original film, the Willow series will come from Lucasfilm, making it the company's first non-Star Wars project since 2015.
While show details are still shaping up, it promises to introduce us to a bunch of new characters, including two-headed Eborsisk monsters.
"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."
Howard added, "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. This isn't a nostalgic throw-back, it's a creative lean-forward and it's a blast to be a part of it all."
News of the project was first reported last year, though the series was only given the go-ahead today.
