A 1980s fantasy classic makes its comeback with ‘Willow’ on Disney+
Upon its release in 1988, Willow,a fantasy film about a mini-hero who rescues a magical baby from an evil queen, was not the boxoffice hit its makers had hoped for – despite its script being penned by Star Wars creator George Lucas.
It was only years later that the film, which stars Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley, became a cult classic – after its release as a VHS video.
Now, 34 years later, the story is being continued as a television series. British actor Davis, 52, who is best known for his roles in the Star Wars and Harry Potter film series, again takes on the title role.
“It’s a dream come true in a sense, not only for me, but for fans who have been shouting at me in the street,” he says, “saying, ‘when are we going to see a sequel to Willow? We love that movie. I grew up watching it!’”
Lucas was initially sceptical about the creation of a sequel, but then there was a lucky coincidence. Willow director Ron Howard and Davis, who played a supporting role, worked together again on the film Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Howard introduced Davis to screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan, who is a big Willow fan. “Between the three of us, I just chatted about, you know, making more Willow and I would tell them how popular I felt the film was among fans, how many fans there were all over the world,” Davis said.
So Howard, Davis and Kasdan, began to put the sequel together.
With the support of the influential The eight-part series continues Star Wars producer Kathleen the Willow story some 20 years Kennedy, the project landed at the later. Although all evil should have streaming service Disney+. been defeated with the death of Queen Bavmorda, dark visions plague Willow. One day, a group of youngsters knock on his door in need of his support.
From the cast of the original film, Davis is joined by Whalley as Sorsha and Kevin Pollack as Rool. Val Kilmer, who lost his voice after a serious bout with throat cancer, does not take part.
“We were extremely sorry not to have him [Val Kilmer] involved physically with the project,” Davis said.
Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Erin Kellyman (Solo: A Star Wars Story) and Christian Slater (Mr Robot) are the best-known faces of the very diverse cast.
The television series is dark in places and maybe a bit frightening for younger viewers. Visually, it cannot keep up with the charm of the cinema film, while the plot – with its nasty monsters, dark vision, planned forced wedding and a secret lesbian love story – can feel confusing and overloaded with characters at the beginning.
But this is remedied when the aged Willow appears for the first time.
“There’s a fundamental emotional feeling of seeing Warwick Davis back in his cloak and costume that’s just so powerful,” says Kasdan, who grew up in the film industry as the son of Hollywood veteran Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back).
Nostalgia is an important factor, he adds. “It brings you back to something you feel you’ve lost, that you can’t help but feel you’ve lost if you’re a grown-up. And that is really palpable in the show, in the culture right now. It’s something that you can’t deny.”
He is hoping to thrill the many Willow fans from back then, but he is wary. “There’s also a burden on something like this to move it forward and to be as exciting and interesting as possible in a landscape where there’s a lot of places you can go for fantasy.”
A new Willow episode will be released for streaming every Wednesday on Disney+.