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Willow: Disney Announces and Confirms Warwick Davis Starring Sequel Series

As we already know, George Lucas’s Willow is in development for the streaming platform, Disney+. Ron Howard previously revealed that there were discussions that the show was happening and that writing was underway for the series.

Variety is confirming that  “Crazy Rich Asians” and “In the Heights” director Jon M. Chu to helm the pilot and exec produce. Jonathan Kasdan (“Solo”) and Wendy Mericle (“Arrow”) will serve as showrunners.

Bob Dolman, writer of the original film, serves as consulting producer, with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy on board as an EP alongside Michelle Rejwan. Howard’s Imagine Television is producnig, with the company’s Roopesh Parekh and Hannah Friedman in place as co-executive producers. Julia Cooperman will produce.

“It’s creatively exciting to not only revisit the world and characters first conceived by George Lucas, Bob Dolman and myself but to see it take flight in such fresh, fun and cinematic ways through the imagination of Jon Kasdan and Team Willow,” added Ron Howard. “This isn’t a nostalgic throw-back, it’s a creative lean-forward and it’s a blast to be a part of it all.”

In a previous interview with Inverse, Warwick Davis discussed the return of Willow but insisted that fans are ahead of where the project actually is in development.

“The internet has got a little bit ahead of us here,” Davis said. “There’s a lot of work on development and working out what this potentially could be, but there’s no definite green light, go, we’re doing this. There’s a lot of work going on. The right people have come together. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of goodwill from the right people and also from the fans. I think that’s what’s really so heartwarming is the enthusiasm from people around the world. So, yeah, no definite news there. I think there’s a firm chance that this is going to be something that becomes a reality. Definitely.”

For Davis, there’s a lot of personal excitement and enthusiasm for the project.

“I’d love to do this. When I did the movie I was 17, and it was a steep learning curve to play the character. Ron Howard was an integral part of my being able to do it,” Davis said. “Now I feel, as an actor, I’ve learned a lot over the years. And to play the character older would be fascinating. I mean he’s older, he’s wiser — has he learned to become a sorcerer? Has he mastered the craft? What’s been going on in the world of Willow? So yes, if we do get to do this, there’ll be a wonderful story to tell, I’m sure. And I’ll greatly relish the opportunity.”

Released in 1988, Willow was an epic fantasy film written by George Lucas himself and directed by Ron Howard. Starring Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer, the film told the story of young Willow (Davis) who happens upon the abandoned baby Elora Danan.

The film’s description:

“Enter the world of “Willow.” Journey to the far corners of your imagination, to a land of myth and magic, where dream and reality live side by side … to a place that never existed, a time that never was. It is a world where a young man named Willow lives out an adventure that explodes beyond the boundaries of his own hopes and fears.:

Are you excited about the return of Willow? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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