Well, it would appear that at least a couple of actors will be making their way back to the Willow series when it returns, but it’s fair to state that as much as I hate to admit it, the role of Madmartigan isn’t going to be kept up since Val Kilmer is in no condition to take on such a role again. It was enough to see him appear in Top Gun: Maverick, which had to have been a monumental task given how his health has been up and done over the years. But seeing Iceman return in any capacity was great. Seeing him return as Madmartigan in his current state though would be kind of painful to watch and even think about. But it would appear that Sorsha, aka Joanne Whalley, will be making her way back to the show, as will Willow Ufgood, aka Warwick Davis. But there will be a lot of new faces in the mix, and a new adventure that will pull the lead characters into a conflict that will have the benefit of special effects that the original movie couldn’t even dream of back in the 80s. But it is intriguing to think that Willow will be the seasoned wizard this time around, and not a hopeful apprentice.
There’s not much that’s known about the series at this time, other than it’s going to be pulling in a lot of younger actors who will hopefully be able to regain the same feeling that the movie created so long ago. Willow was, for its time, kind of odd in a way but also great since the swords and sorcery feel it brought wasn’t so hardcore that it could only be watched by adults, but it wasn’t so soft that it was strictly for children either. In a way, it’s one of the movies that was released at just the right time and was entertaining for what it was, not what it was trying to be. To this day a lot of people see the movie as an epic, and it’s easy to agree with this sentiment.
What kind of adventure the group will be going on is hard to say, but it already looks like something that will be able to reinvigorate the fans and get them interested in what’s still to come. The fact that Willow is now the seasoned adventurer and the magic user is even better since this character became one of the reasons why this movie was so great in the first place. It does feel as though the scope of this adventure is going to extend just as far as the movie, but with the special effects that will be brought into play, it will likely be enough to shock and awe a lot of people. Even better is that it would appear that elements of the movie are being brought back that will be easy for people to recognize, such as the trolls and the Brownies, even if some folks didn’t particularly enjoy the latter. One can only imagine the criticisms that are going to be launched at this series for one reason or another since if there’s one thing people love to do these days, it’s cry racism and all other types of -ism’s whenever and wherever they can.
It’s a quandary, isn’t it? Each new show and movie attempts to be inclusive and create a world in which many upon many different lifestyles are represented, and yet people continue to make it known that they don’t agree with this or that because the material isn’t being presented in a manner that they happen to like. I’ve been guilty of it as well, but opening one’s eyes a bit more and being able to say that it’s necessary for a story to narrow and widen as is needed tends to alleviate some of that concern. Willow is the type of story that back in the day didn’t have a lot of representation of other cultures to be certain, much like many other stories set in what is presumably a European backdrop. The amusing part of this (especially with everyone crying racism these days) is that if the story were held in a country where the predominant culture is held by people of color, advocating for more Caucasians would also likely be seen as racist. As I said, it’s amusing, but not that important.
The series does appear to have a fairly inclusive look to it, which is great since this does manage to create the idea that people migrated and moved around the world and didn’t stay put. All in all, it does look like something fun and exciting to look forward to, and it’s fair to say that when November rolls around that a lot of people are going to be sitting down to see how the story continues.
Val Kilmer
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