Of all the unexpected film news to make the headlines recently, this might be one of the weirdest: Ron Howard is reportedly in talks to make a Willow sequel series for upcoming streaming service Disney+.
Howard revealed the news while making a guest appearance on the MTV podcast Happy Sad Confused, saying he was in “serious discussions”. He also mentioned that Solo: A Star Wars Story screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan is set to work on the project with him.
For those unfamiliar, Willow was a 1987 fantasy film directed by Howard and produced by George Lucas. It starred Harry Potter star Warwick Davis as a farmer turned aspiring sorcerer named Willow Ufgood.
The film also starred Val Kilmer as swordsman Madmartigan, Joanne Whalley as Sorsha, Jean Marsh as Queen Bavmorda, Patricia Hayes as Fin Raziel, Billy Barty as The High Aldwin and Pat Roach as General Kael.
On its release, Willow wasn’t as big a hit as Lucas had hoped it would be, what with it going up against the likes of Big, Crocodile Dundee II and Rambo II at the box office, but it later went on to earn its status as a cult film.
Speaking on Happy Sad Confused, Howard said: “Warwick is so cool and so good and he’s such a good actor that I really hope we get the chance to see the mature Willow in action.”
This isn’t the first time the idea of a Willow sequel has been thrown about: in 2005, Lucas and Davis discussed the possibility of a new television series, and in May 2018, Howard confirmed that there were ongoing discussions regarding a sequel but with no news as to who or what would be funding it.
Disney+ is set to debut on 12 November in the US. Get all the latest fantasy news with every issue of SciFiNow.