An earlier report from Deadline has indicated that the new Disney+ series, Willow, has been canceled after one season. However, one of the series’ executive producers and writer Jon Kasdan has taken to Twitter to share that that might not exactly be the case.
What’s Happening:
- After the release of what he calls “punchy headlines,” Jon Kasdan, one of the writers and executive producers for the Disney+ series based on the 80’s film of the same name, Willow has taken to Twitter with an explanation of the events that have led to the reported cancelation of the Lucasfilm production.
- In his tweet, Kasdan states Lucasfilm and Willow’s production team “made a decision to release our main cast for other” opportunities because of an industry-wide slowdown of streaming show production.
- Readers may recall that Disney CEO Bob Iger had also revealed a slow down of Disney+ programming from Marvel and Lucasfilm, reported here.
- Later in the letter, Kasdan also reveals that he has written an entire second season with the “enthusiastic” support of Lucasfilm.
- While there are currently no plans to enter pre-production of the scripts, Kasdan reminds the audience that plenty of shows have long delays in between seasons; even Willow “didn’t get it’s well-deserved sequel for 35 years.” As such, many of the principal actors in the series have been released from their contract so they can pursue other projects until Willow returns to production.
- Kasdan seems confident that the show will return, and that it is simply now on hiatus, rather than outright canceled. He also says that the second season, “Volume II,” is about “courage, desire, acceptance, and the comedy and the beauty to be found in even the darkest of places… it’s about the ineffable and enduring power of friendship.”
- In 1988, George Lucas teamed with director Ron Howard and Return of the Jedi co-star Warwick Davis to create Willow, a fantasy adventure heavily influenced by the Tolkien stories Lucas loved. Much like a lot of films of the 1980s, Willow was not too well received at the time, but has since become a cult classic.
- As with the original film, the series stars Warwick Davis reprising the titular role, and he is joined this time by Dempsey Bryk (Heartland), Amar Chadha-Patel (Aladdin), Ellie Bamber (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms), Tony Revolori (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Ruby Cruz (Castle Rock) and Erin Kellyman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier).
Sign up for Disney+ or the Disney Streaming Bundle (Disney+, ESPN+, and ad-supported Hulu) now