“Willow” is a new Disney+ original TV series that serves as a sequel to the 1988 film of the same name.
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the show.
- Willow is an American fantasy adventure television series
- It is based on and serves as a sequel to the 1988 film of the same name
- Willow premiered on November 30, 2022 on Disney+
- An unlikely group of six heroes sets off on a dangerous quest to places far beyond their home
- There they must face their inner demons and come together to save their world
- Discussions about a continuation of the film began as early as 2005
- With Warwick Davis reiterating his interest in returning in multiple interviews
- During a May 2019 interview with an MTV podcast, Ron Howard, director of the 1988 film, revealed he had been approached by Jonathan Kasdan about rebooting the film as a television series at Disney+
- In October 2020, the series was greenlit, with Jon M. Chu directing the pilot episode and Davis reprising his titular role
- Chu would announce that he had to step away from directing duties due to a production delay and personal reasons in January 2021
- Later that month, Jonathan Entwistle was hired to replace Chu as director of the pilot, and will also executive produce
- However, due to production delays as a result of a recasting, Entwistle also exited the series
- With Stephen Woolfenden coming in to direct the first two episodes of the series
- In November 2020, Erin Kellyman, Cailee Spaeny and Ellie Bamber entered negotiations to join the cast
- In January 2021, Tony Revolori would enter negotiations to join the cast, which was now confirmed to include Kellyman, Spaeny and Bamber
- Revolori would be confirmed to join the cast in March, along with the recasting of Spaeny with Ruby Cruz
- Amer Chadha-Patel would join the next month
- By November 2021, Ralph Ineson was added to the cast
- In April 2022, Talisa Garcia and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers were cast
- With Garcia starring as Revolori’s character’s mother
- Marking the first time a transgender actor has appeared in a Lucasfilm production
- In May 2022, Joanne Whalley appeared at the Lucasfilm panel at Star Wars Celebration, revealing that she would be reprising her role as Sorsha from the original film
- At the D23 Expo in September, Kevin Pollak and Rick Overton were revealed to be reprising their roles from the film
- With Christian Slater also being announced as part of the cast
- Val Kilmer was unable to participate in filming to reprise his role as Madmartigan due to his recovery from throat cancer and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
- But Davis and Kasdan said that his character would still be involved “in a big way”
- Production for the series began in June 2021 in Wales
- With Dragon Studios near Llanharan being used as a location
- Filming took place at Pendine Sands in October
- A trailer of Willow was released at Star Wars Celebration on May 26, 2022
- A second trailer and official poster were released at the Disney fan expo D23 on September 10, 2022
- The D23 expo also featured a panel consisting of several Willow cast members including Davis and Slater
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