Willow Trailer: Lucasfilm's Fantasy Epic Continues On Disney+
Long ago in a place far, far away, a hero in a George Lucas movie went on a quest. No, not that quest, a different quest. Amidst the tidal wave of news coming from Star Wars Celebration, we're getting our first big look at a new streaming series based on one of Lucas' other epics: "Willow." The 1988 film was produced by Lucas and directed by a then-breakout filmmaker called Ron Howard. Now, the fantasy is set to get a sequel series on Disney+.
The first trailer for "Willow" picks up the story of sorcerer Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) years after we last saw the hero. As a refresher, the '80s film ended with Willow besting the black sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) and saving the prophecy-bound baby Elora. You can watch the series' first trailer below.
Return to the world of Willow
Several elements from the original version of "Willow" seem set to recur in the new installment, although it will largely feature a brand new cast. Howard is executive producing, with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy (who didn't work on "Willow," but did produce plenty of similar '80s movies with Steven Spielberg) also on board as an EP. The show was also filmed in Wales, which is where the original "Willow" created its lush, green world.
Erin Kellyman ("The Green Knight"), Ellie Bamber ("Les Miserables"), Ruby Cruz ("Mare of Easttown"), Tony Revolori ("Spider-Man: Far From Home"), Dempsey Bryk ("Black Mirror"), Amar Chadha-Patel ("Alladin"), and Talisa Garcia ("The Girlfriend Experience") are all among the new cast members on board for "Willow." The new team of adventurers was introduced via a sardonic "Meet the Cast" video for Disney+ Day last November, where Revolori jokingly told Davis that "Willow was his "second-favorite fantasy adventure, behind 'Lord of the Rings.'"
Although nostalgia-based revivals are a dime a dozen at this point, I can't help but root for the "Willow" series, particularly because the movie itself is sort of like the less-loved little sibling of "Star Wars." In an era rife with fantasy adventure films, the movie was seen by some as derivative, and it never made as big of a box office splash in the U.S. as it did in international markets. Still, "Willow" was a breakthrough in a number of ways, from its casting of many actors with dwarfism as heroes to its use of a then-new technology called digital morphing.
The new series will premiere November 30, 2022 on Disney+.