Disney+’s live-action original series Willow will not return for Season 2, Deadline has reported. Serving as a sequel, the series based on the 1988 fantasy film directed by Ron Howard premiered in November last year and concluded its run in January. The news comes as Disney CEO Bob Iger recently revealed that the streaming giant is carefully considering its tentpole brands like Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios.
The Disney+ series from creator Jonathan Kasdan was set years after Queen Bavmorda was defeated and followed a group of rag tag heroes set off on a quest far away from their home, where they must face their inner demons and come together to save their world. However, the series did not have a similar cultural impact as the original movie. While the cast and crew hoped to explore more of the world where brownies, sorcerers, trolls, and other mystical creatures flourish, the house of mouse has different plans.
In the past year, a lot of studios and streamers are reassessing their IPs and have started curbing streaming content spending in search of profitability. This has resulted in the axing of various fan-favorite TV shows and movies regardless of the stage of their production, and Willow is just the latest casualty. For quite some time, Lucasfilm has been assessing its film slate very carefully, contemplating which film should come next from their much bigger Star Wars universe.
Lucasfilm's Disney+ Universe
However, the brand has been able to chart out quite a sizable universe on Disney+ under the leadership of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, making series like the Pedro Pascal-led The Mandalorian, which is currently airing its third season, Temuera Morrison’s Book of Boba Fett, which was basically The Mandalorian 2.5 and is still looking for a Season 2 confirmation, and upcoming features like Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka, Acolyte and Skeleton Crew, along with a slew of animated features.
Kasdan wrote the pilot and served as showrunner and executive producer alongside Wendy Mericle, Howard, and writer Bob Dolman. It was reported previously that Kasdan had been pushing hard for another season for the series, even adding a tag to the end of the show itself teasing more stories, though Willow remains an important IP for Lucasfilm and could be revisited in the future. The series casts Warwick Davis as Willow, Ellie Bamber as Elora Danan, Ruby Cruz as Princess Kit, Erin Kellyman as Jade, Tony Revolori as Prince Graydon, Amar Chadha-Patel as Thraxus Boorman, and Dempsey Bryk as Prince Airk, among others.
Willow Season 1 is available to stream on Disney+.