Disney+ and Lucasfilm have announced the release date for Willow as part of Star Wars Celebration. The series is a spinoff of the cult-classic fantasy film starring Warwick Davis as an aspiring wizard who has to protect a baby from an evil sorcerer.
In the original film, Davis plays the role of Willow Ufgood, a prominent member of the Nelwyn race, also known as the little people. Although the Nelwyn are small and usually looked down by the humans who inhabit the film’s magical kingdom, Willow goes on an adventure to stop an evil sorcerer from sacrificing a baby and imposing a dark rule over the empire. With nothing more than his wits, Willow becomes the unlikely hero, ushering in a new era of prosperity. While the film failed to impress critics when it was first released in 1988, Willow soon became a beloved classic, remembered as one of the best fantasy films of the 80s.
So, now that Disney+ has the extra space to revive the company’s older properties, Lucasfilm is developing a spinoff series that will bring back Davis to the enchanted world. Talking about coming back to the franchise more than three decades later, Davis said he feels “old.” However, Davis also says that “making the original movie was one of the best experiences of my life,” so, coming back to the same universe is “something I've always wanted to do and it's a dream.”
Together with the release date for the show, Star Wars Celebration also revealed a new trailer for the revival series. In the trailer, we learn how Willow’s duel against the sorcerer has become a legend in the kingdom. However, centuries after his victory, Willow must come back to fight against a new evil that rises and threatens to spread everywhere. While in the original film Willow is still an apprentice when it comes to magic, the new trailer reveals the hero rose to the position of the most powerful wizard in the land. The trailer also teases the return of the evil sorceress, as we can see her crooked magic wand in a blink-and-you-might-miss frame.
Willow stars Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, Tony Revolori, Amer Chadha-Patel, Ellie Bamber, Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, and Talisa Garcia. In the series, Willow's daughter is played by Warwick Davis's in-real-life daughter and his son was his stunt double.
Willow premieres on Disney+ on November 30.