A new series is coming to Disney+ and it’s set to premiere on November 30. The TV series Willow is meant to be the sequel to the 1988 fantasy adventure movie under the same name, according to Comicbook.
The movie was created by George Lucas (Star Wars, Indiana Jones) and directed by Ron Howard (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Thirteen Lives). The 30-year-old film follows an aspiring apprentice who saves the infant princess who is destined to unite the realms from the Demon Queen of Nockmaar.
In the 2022 TV series, the legendary Nelwyn sorcerer Willow Ufgood, played by Warwick Davies (Star Wars, Harry Potter), returns.
According to Comicbook, Howard will participate in the new Willow project as an executive producer and has said that he is excited to revisit the world and the characters that were first conceived by Lucas, Bob Dolman (Far and Away, The Banger Sisters), and himself but also to see them in a fresh, fun and new cinematic ways through the imagination and creativity of showrunner Jon Kasdan (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Dawson’s Creek). Original film writer Dolman also announced his participation in the TV series as an executive producer in 2020.
The show’s first season will consist of eight episodes which will release weekly on Wednesdays on Disney+. The first two episodes will premiere on November 30th and the season finale will air on January 11th.
Apart from Davis, original cast member Joanne Whalley (Daredevil, Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands) will return and reprise her role as warrior queen Sorsha. The new cast members include Erin Kellyman (Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) playing knight-in-training Jade; Ruby Cruz (Mare of Easttown, Castle Rock) as Kit, the princess daughter of Sorsha and swordsman Madmartigan; Ellie Bamber (The Serpent, The Trial of Christine Keeler) as Dove the kitchen maid; Amar Chadha-Patel (The Wheel of Time, The Third Day)will play swordsman thief Boorman; Dempsey Bryk (The Birch, Coroner) as Airk, Kit’s twin brother; and Tony Revolori (Servant, Spider-Man: No Way Home) as the scholar Graydon. Kevin Pollak (Better Things, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Rick Overton (Backstory with Terry McFadden, Yearly Departed) are also back as brownies Rool and Franjean, Ralph Ineson (The Northman, The Green Knight) as Commander Ballantine, Annabelle Davis (The Dumping Ground) plays Willow’s daughter Mims, and Christian Slater (Inside Job, Archer) as Madmartigan’s friend Allagash.
Famous actor Val Kilmer (Top Gun, The Doors) appeared in the 1988 movie as Madmartigan, but due to an arduous battle with throat cancer and surgery that permanently damaged his vocal cords, he will not be reprising his role for the show. Madmartigan is the father of Sorsha’s children, twins Kit and Airk, and will have a presence as the former swashbuckler; according to Comicbook, he is still a huge part of the story and the series.
Showrunner Kasdan and lead actor Davis had a conversation regarding the involvement of Kilmer when they first got approval for the show. Both Kasdan and Davis wanted Kilmer to be a part of the show but due to the shooting taking place in Wales during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Kilmer, unfortunately, wasn’t able to join them. Still, Davis and Kasdan have said that Madmartigan lives on and that he is on the show in a big way.
The TV series will occur after the events of the movie in which an aspiring magician from a Nelwyn village and an infant girl destined to unite the realms, together help destroy an evil queen and banish the forces of darkness. Twenty years later, the adventure continues in a magical world where brownies, sorcerers, trolls, and other mystical creatures flourish, an unlikely group of heroes sets off on a dangerous quest to places far away, where they must face their inner demons and come together to save their world.
The 1988 Willow movie is available to watch on Disney+. The new TV series Willow will premiere on Wednesday on Disney+. Don’t forget to watch the trailer below.