In this world of remakes and sequels, Disney is king. The Mouse House currently has its attention focused on numerous forthcoming feature projects including Indiana Jones 5 and Cruella, both slated for 2021.
Meanwhile, Disney Plus has been employing its energy to produce original content for the platform. A second season of The Mandalorian is already underway as are the production schedules for a host of original Marvel series.
But that’s not all, as according to Ron Howard, the streaming service might be endeavoring to revitalize the 1988 film Willow, which Howard directed. Speaking to Collider, he revealed that the classic movie might just have a chance at being refreshed with a sequel series, which has been rumored for some time now.
“We are developing Willow for Disney Plus. And I don’t know about directing or not, but Jon Kasdan is writing; he’s very passionate about it…We don’t have a green light yet, but if it goes, I’ll certainly want to roll up my sleeves and be a part of that, because that would be great, to revisit that world.”
Willow was a Lucasfilm production that brought the classic tale of castles, magic and fantastic races to the screen. The year before its release, cult classic The Princess Bride had come out and audiences still craved medieval romance. In an era before the epic Lord of the Rings or Narnia adaptations, Willow offered an intriguing exploration into another world of fantasy.
Now that Lucasfilm is owned by The Walt Disney Company, a sequel for Willow would be a cinch, and likely a lucrative one. Howard has already worked with the revamped, Disney-owned Lucasfilm on Solo: A Star Wars Story and during this project, he also collaborated with Jon Kasdan, who scripted the spinoff and is involved with the Willow sequel series.
The sage director went on to explain:
“It’s one of the reasons why TV has gotten so good, is that they really are looking at the showrunners as authors of something that they’re deeply passionate about. And Jon is deeply passionate about Willow, which tickles me to no end.”
Howard also revealed that the series will be set several decades after the original film and that Warwick Davis is indeed involved. The actor, who played Willow Ufgood in Willow, also portrayed the minor character Weazel in Solo and has played dwarves on more than one occasion.
Our enthusiasm is certainly as high as Howard’s is for what sounds like a very exciting project and we’ll hopefully get some additional updates on Disney’s plans for more Willow in the not too distant future. Stay tuned.
