Well, this is an emotional rollercoaster. Earlier this week, the news broke that Willow, the fantasy series on Disney+ continuing the story of the 1988 movie starring Warwick Davis, had been canceled. Now, showrunner Jonathan Kasdan has revealed that the real situation is more complicated (and better!) than we thought.
Kasdan took to Twitter to clarify the news that led news outlets, including us, to think that the series had been canceled.
Kasdan explained that “A decision was made last week to release our main cast for other series opportunities that may arise for them in the coming year. With all the TV and movies in production around the world, it feels unfair to limit an actor’s availability without a clear sense of when you’re going to need them again. It’s further trivialized by the simple reality that the scripts we’ve been working on require just as many actors … with whom no such contractual hold exists.”
Kasdan went on to explain that the decision to release the actors was made because Willow Volume II won’t be filming within the next year, due to the slowdown in streaming shows in general. However, the story for Volume II is already in the works. “Are we going into pre-production [for Willow Volume II]? Not right now. Does that mean we’re never gonna make it? Absolutely not.”
On Volume II’s story, Kasdan said that the next season is “brain-meltingly fun, richer, darker and better,” and that it “builds on the characters and story of our first eight chapters (the Wyrm survives!).”
Willow Volume I, which recently streamed on Disney+, was a delightful romp across the land of Tir Asleen. The story had everything fantasy fans could want: sorcerers, monsters, ancient prophesies, and lots of magic—plus multiple queer love stories. I was heartbroken when I heard the “news” that the series had been canceled, and I’m happy we were wrong.
(featured image: Disney+)
