Revisiting a decades-old property like Willow comes with its fair share of uncertainties. Namely, the fear that it won’t be anywhere near as good as the original 1988 fantasy film that inspired it. But the creators behind the upcoming sequel series on Disney+ seem to have felt that all the exciting new opportunities afforded by continuing Willow’s story on TV were worth the risk. Now, the show’s latest featurette is giving us new insight into the franchise’s looming transition to the small screen.
The video features lots of behind-the-scenes footage from the show, along with sit-downs with the cast and crew members. Naturally, this includes headliner Warwick Davis, who reprises his role as the titular Nelwyn sorcerer. Twenty years after defeating Queen Bavmorda and rescuing the baby Elora Danan, Willow now finds himself tasked with aiding a band of young heroes on a new quest. Fortunately, Davis – who had been aching to revisit Willow for years – can vouch for all of the new actors bringing these characters to life, claiming they understood how important the original film is to audiences all over the world.
You can watch the featurette in the player below.
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Ron Howard, who directed the 1988 movie and returns as an executive producer on the show, shared his own thoughts on bringing Willow to TV. As he tells it, even George Lucas, who wrote the original film’s story, believed Willow’s universe “made sense” on television. Showrunner Jonathan Kasdan also acknowledged that the both the spirit and scale of film were huge. So expanding the lore required a much bigger canvas than a single two-hour movie could provide. Ultimately, the show aims to stay true to the film’s message, which – as Tony Revolori explains – is that “a hero can come from everywhere and anywhere.”
Willow will premiere on Disney+ on November 30.
Are you excited to watch the film’s original heroes meet the series’ new characters? Let us know in the comment section below!
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