It’s been 34 years since Willow hit theaters, but now the titular hero is back in a new series streaming on Disney+. This is great news for fans who have been waiting for the next adventure for decades.
The original film, directed by Ron Howard, received mixed reviews from critics but was warmly embraced by audiences. Grossed $137.6 million against a $35 million budget. Willow, which starred Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, and Joan Whaley as part of an ensemble cast, also received two Oscar nominations.
The series, also titled Willow, sees Davis return to the lead role of Willow Ufgood. But this time with John Kasdan as a writer and executive producer. The couple, who met on the set of Howard’s Solo, were among the cast and crew who gathered for a press conference to reveal more about the show, which debuted on Disney+.
Here are a few things that might be helpful for you to know before going to a new show
Warwick Davies on his return to the willows
Warwick Davis: It’s been talked about for years, not by an official but by fans. He kept bugging me, ‘When are we going to see the sequel to that movie?’. That was a question I could only answer after meeting John Kasdan, who I understand is also a fan. I was surprised on the set of Solo who let him on set because he was obsessed with talking about Willow. Surely, we should have focused on making this a Star Wars story, right? It was decided that there really should be more Willows. So that was the catalyst for this project to happen, and in Hollywood terms, it happened very quickly. It wasn’t years and years of development, and before I knew it, I was sitting on set in Wales on the first day of shooting. Once again, I looked like Willow, but a slightly older, more mature, better-looking version.
John Kasdan: There was an impulse between Ron and Warwick and myself to continue this story and return to this world. I came at it as a fan, and they came at it as a producer and found a champion in me. I kept fighting and hoping that we would get a chance to go back. My guess was always that Warwick would come back and he would look so charming and America and the world would really be brought to its knees. Everyone understood and appreciated that the opportunity to bring this character back to the screen was something special.
Balancing the old willow with the new
Kasdan: That’s the challenge, and with every episode, you’re walking the line between knowing and satisfying the fans’ expectations of the Willow brand. Then you’re trying to take that further and tell a surprising and unexpected story. We had the legendary weapon Warwick, who gave credibility to the entire Willow universe. The moment you see him on screen, you suddenly believe that these six other idiot kids can somehow fit into that world and live in it. He did it so beautifully and with so much passion, enthusiasm and authenticity. It was amazing to see all these things come together. It became something that felt like a progression from a movie to a love letter.
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Davis: Certainly, one of the funniest things about the series was the callbacks to events in the film. There are times when I, as a character, talk about those events, and it’s a really fun way to see those things happen, and the fans will get a kick out of it. Additionally, we returned to locations and environments that we had already visited in the film. Nockmaar, in particular, was one of those special places that, for me, really shook me. I would be standing there or sitting somewhere Bavtorda would be making his presence felt in that area. It shows you how powerful the film was, the settings, and Jean Marsh’s performance.
Kasdan: An incredible thing happened where we brought out our friend Kevin Polk to reprise his role as Roll. When he arrived, he told me that he and Warwick had never actually done a scene before. Because they filmed all the brownie bits of the movie at Skywalker in Northern California. This time, he and Warwick bumped into each other, and it was amazing to watch them interact. They were old friends who didn’t know each other.
Warwick Davis on what the Willow legacy means to his family
Davis: I remember the first time I showed the movie to my son, Harrison. At that time, I think he was about six. I left him to watch in our living room and went and did some email and work. He came running into my office, ‘Dad, you are in trouble. are you ok?’ I said, ‘I’m fine.’ At that time I was being attacked by trolls on screen. This deeply affected Harrison, and he has been consulting ever since (laughter). It was great to have Harrison and my daughter Annabelle as part of the series.
Annabelle plays Willow’s daughter, Mims. She’s an amazing actress on her own right now, and we had so much fun playing scenes together. Clearly, we have that natural chemistry that shines through. I am very proud of his work. Harrison is the perfect stunt and photo double for me. He stands just as tall as me and looks exactly like me, but now he’s a little disappointed that he’s never getting recognition for his work. Because as a stunt double, you’re not supposed to be recognized; You shouldn’t even exist. Poor Harrison will get no credit for this.
Why is Val Kilmer’s character, Madmartigan, not in the Willow series?
Kasdan: Because we were telling a story with so many young characters, and they were all searching for their identities. The question of finding Madmartigan and what happened to her was central to the story that we did was telling It had to happen. We knew it would be woven into the quest to really see where he had been and what had become of him, and what he had left behind. We always knew we wanted to pay it forward somehow, and we had lots of ideas about ways to do that and ways to leave it open-ended.
One of the things that happened, was that Val himself couldn’t come to Wales and work with us. Was that we added this text from a friend in Madmartigan who might give us clues to his whereabouts? It deepened the mystery surrounding what happened to him which enhanced the story we were already telling. So that was very satisfying, and it gave us a chance to add a new element to the show that we weren’t expecting. Madmartigan is still out there. I’ve had many conversations with everyone involved, and we think that day must come. Warwick and I would love to see him pick up that sword again.
Bringing Willow back to the screen is the biggest challenge
Davis: For me, it was the physical challenges of the role. I remember the first time I was 17 and it was quite physically challenging with the rugged terrain and harsh conditions in the mountains of New Zealand. This time, I’m not 17 anymore; I am 52 years old, such rough terrain, mud, things like that, and Mr. Kasdan’s very heavy dialogue, all those things were challenging. Also, I wanted to do the best we could, do the actual material justice, have a lot of fans with me, and deliver a series that everyone could enjoy. It’s been on your mind the whole time. It can give you a lot of responsibility and bring a lot of weight to the whole thing, but still, the experience was fun.
It is one that I look up to with great love and affection. What makes projects special are the people, not the content or characters; These are the people you work with. We have this amazing ensemble cast here, John, our writer, the various directors we’ve done throughout the series, and the creatives at the top of the ladder, namely Kathleen Kennedy and Ron Howard themselves. He was like our Yoda, I think (laughs).
On having more laughs in the series than in the original Willow movie
Davis: It was important that we took that kind of ethos from the film because that’s what sets Willow apart from other fantasy offerings from the ’80s. It can look at itself and laugh and not take itself too seriously. Also, in addition to being a great fantasy writer and science-fiction writer. John is also a very good comedy writer, and he would often say to me, ‘I’m going to shorten my whole life with this scene. Which meant he wanted it to be as funny as it could be.
Kasdan: Now another great gift of doing this show is that we all knew how amazing Warwick was in the movie. His comedy is, in a way, one of the most enduring things about it. He’s had an amazing career as a comedian and has a lot of material to look to for inspiration and reference. To bring him back on the show, especially in a different part of his life. Where he has insecurities and fears and a big reputation to maintain, we had a lot of fun as a theme.
It was a funny joke for all six actors around him, who he said didn’t really know what he was doing. It was in keeping with the spirit of the show and what we wanted. Apparently, this was also true as a listener. You’re surrounded by people who are looking at you, ‘You know what you’re doing, don’t you?’ And you’re just saying, ‘Yeah, no, maybe.’ This was something I was able to write for Willow.
A conversation with the film’s director, Ron Howard, about Willow and how it evolved
Kasdan: It grew out of a conversation Ron and I had on the set of Solo. At the core of it all, one thing we always knew was, ‘What happened to Elora Danan?’. It was a subject with a lot of promise. The film ends with Warwick kissing the child and saying, ‘Well, bye, I’ll never see you again.’ At eight years old, I was like, ‘You mean, they’re not going to live together, and they’re not going to spend their lives together? How will he know about all these things that have happened to him?’. It felt like a great jumping-off place for a series, and we knew we wanted this question to fit that.
We knew we wanted to question who was protecting him. Not telling him who was the best way to save him? This is consistent with many other George Lucas stories and stories of people discovering their unique heritage or uniqueness as they go through their lives. With this particular show being so much about growing up, it seemed like a theme that made perfect sense to us.
Willow is now streaming on Disney+.
