It’s official—Disney has greenlit a sequel series to the 1988 film Willow, with star Warwick Davis set to reprise his role as Willow Ufgood. The Hollywood Reporter says that Jon M. Chu will direct the pilot episode, written by Solo: A Star Wars Story‘s Jonathan Kasdan, and that Arrow producer Wendy Mericle will serve as showrunner.
Willow debuted in 1988, an original fantasy adventure conceived by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard, which follows its namesake character after he discovers an abandoned baby, and unwittingly becomes part of a prophesy that culminates in the downfall of an evil ruler. The film has since become a cult hit, and outside of a trio of tie-in novels written by Lucas and Chris Claremont, the film has remained one of those stories that’s never been continued, despite Davis’s efforts.
Buy the Book
Hollow Empire
Until now. Last year, Kasdan noted that he had been working with Disney to do a revival of the story, and earlier this year, teased that work had begun on it. The series, according to Howard, would be set decades later. Chu—known for the blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians—said that the movie had a “profound effect on me,” and that he’s looking forward to working with Lucasfilm on it.
The series will debut at some point on Disney+, and is part of a growing collection of preexisting IP that the studio is unearthing for the streaming service and theaters. Earlier this summer, Disney brought on Garth Davis to direct a third installment of its Tron franchise, as well as reboots of The Mighty Ducks and Home Alone. Those projects will join a growing catalog of original content for Disney+, which includes installments of the Star Wars and Marvel franchises.
SlashFilm says that the series will begin production at some point in 2021 in Wales, but it’s not known when the series will premiere, or who outside of Davis will be cast.
