In 2019, Willow director Ron Howard revealed that there were discussions being had about reviving the film as a series for Disney+. Now, the streaming service has confirmed a Willow sequel series is heading into production with Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu attached the helm the pilot of the Lucasfilm project.
Based on a story conceived by George Lucas, the original film starred Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood, a farmer and aspiring sorcerer who reluctantly takes in a lost baby girl named Elora Danan, whom his children discovered floating down the river. However, Willow embarks on a dangerous journey to bring Elora to responsible humans after his village is attacked by agents of the evil Queen Bavmorda, who believes the child is destined to bring about her downfall. The Disney+ sequel series will take place years after the original film, with Davis set to reprise his role as Willow alongside a host of brand new characters.
Solo: A Star Wars Story co-writer Lawrence Kasdan and former Arrow boss Wendy Mericle will serve as showrunners while original Willow writer Bob Dolman is on board as a consulting producer. In addition to directing the pilot, Chu is attached as an executive producer alongside Howard. “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.”
Rounding out the creative team behind the scenes is Roopesh Parekh of Howard’s Imagine Television and Hannah Friedman as co-executive producers, Julia Cooperman as a producer, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy on board as executive producer alongside Michelle Rejwan. While the Willow series is just one of multiple Lucasfilm shows being developed for Disney+, it marks the first time the production company is venturing outside of the Star Wars universe in film and television since 2015. “This is an exciting new era for storytelling at Lucasfilm,” said Kennedy in a statement. “Jon Chu’s vision, coupled with the writing of Jon Kasdan and Wendy Mericle, is going to take Willow into new and exciting directions for the series. Reuniting Ron Howard and Warwick Davis in the world of Willow is something that they’ve both wanted to do for some time.”
The Willow series continues a trend of bringing back classic films directed towards children as television shows. Among the most recent projects comparable with Willow is Netflix’s Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which received praised from critics but was ultimately canceled after a single season.
While reactions to the Willow series may be varied, it might be refreshing to see Disney+ turn to well-known IP that isn’t oversaturated. As of now, many of the high-profile projects coming from the streaming service are either connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the Star Wars saga.
Willow is now available on Disney+.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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