According to Deadline, Disney+ has just cancelled the high fantasy adventure series, Willow, after just one season. News of the show’s cancellation comes only two month’s after the release of the eight-episode first season, which served as a sequel to the 1988 Ron Howard (Thirteen Lives, Hillbilly Elegy) film of the same name.
Despite receiving critical praise and an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Disney has chosen to ax Willow for its low viewership and minimal social buzz. Though, as Deadline reports, as Willow is still a principal IP in the Lucasfilm library, there is still the distinct possibility that the franchise might be revisited in the future.
The decision to cancel the series comes at a tumultuous time for Lucasfilm as the film company reassesses its upcoming film slate for the Star Wars franchise and grapples with a major lawsuit from scorned ex-producer Karyn McCarthy (more information on the high-tension legal battle between McCarthy and Lucasfilm can be found here). Willow‘s cancellation also affects Disney, who has been continuously scrutinized for peddling back on streaming content spending in favor of stronger profitability.
The Willow sequel series takes place over twenty years after the events of the film and tells the story of an unlikely group of five heroes who embark on a dangerous quest to realms far beyond their home, vanquishing both their inner demons and the real life monsters that threaten their world’s peace. Along the way, the group encounters and is eventually guided by the iconic Willow Ufgood, played by Warwick Davis (the Harry Potter franchise, the Leprechaun franchise), a good-natured Nelwyn farmer turned powerful sorcerer.
The show also features the acting talents of stars such as Tony Revolori (Scream 6, the MCU Spider-Man franchise), Ellie Bamber (The Serpent, The Trial of Christine Keeler), and Erin Kellyman (Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Green Knight).