So after some speculation, it’s now for certain that Willow is going to be coming to Disney+ and will be featuring Warwick Davis as the main character once again. It does sound as though there will be plenty of new characters this time around, as it’s almost certain that several of those that starred in the movie back in the 80s have passed away. Several of those that played Nelwyns have passed away, such as Mark Northover, who played Burglekutt, and David J. Steinberg, who played Willow’s best friend Meegosh. Patricia Hayes, who played the sorceress Fin Raziel, passed away a little over two decades ago as well, meaning that there are several noticeable characters that have passed on. It’s very likely that Willow could start this series by realizing that the older he gets, the more he’s bound to lose and that Meegosh is one of those he misses the most, as well as Fin, who was a mentor to him for a short time. One of the themes behind the shows being brought back from the 80s and 90s is definitely bound to focus on the passage of time and what’s been lost, as this same feeling has been prevalent in Cobra Kai, another story that stems from a successful tale that was made popular decades ago. In this instance it would be interesting to see how Willow is handling the loss of those around him, as Billy Barty, who played the High Aldwin, passed away some time ago as well.
Maybe Willow will be the High Aldwin this time around, as it was the position he was seeking in the movie and the one that he could have had if not for the lack of confidence that plagued him through much of the tale. There are a few possibilities since Elora Danan would be grown by now and the relationship between the Daikini’s and the Nelwyn’s would, one might think, be pretty solid. It would be nice to see Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley return as Madmartigan and Sorsha, but there’s no word on whether or not this is even a desire of Ron Howard’s since there are very few details to go on at this point. The great thing is that people can rely on and trust Howard since his visions usually come through in a big way. Anyone citing the utter failure of Solo needs to remember that Howard was brought in to fix someone else’s movie and bring it to a release, and as a result, it wasn’t likely that it was going to be among his best. He did what he could, and Solo wasn’t a complete trainwreck, but it definitely wasn’t as good as it could have been had he been given control from the start. But with Willow, it really feels as though it would be difficult to screw up since there’s so much material there already and the series is said to be trailing off of the movie, so a new adventure or two would be great to see and it could hopefully bring back whoever is still around if Howard has the inclination to invite them to the set.
The original tale was great since it was something we hadn’t seen yet, at least not in this form, and while it did follow a very recognizable path it did so in a way that was easy to see but not always easy to predict since there were a few jogs here and there that didn’t copy from other stories. But if one really wants to get technical it did involve an individual, Willow, who had no idea how to fight but was skilled in some ways, who was tasked with an arduous journey that required him to leave home and learn more about the world outside of his village. In the process, he found a great warrior that would provide not only protection but also a bit of comic relief and would help him to take care of the child he’d been tasked with watching over. Of course, where it jogs away from the expected path came when Madmartigan lost the child, Willow had to save her, and the adventure continued as Willow was given a different quest to find Fin Raziel and stop the evil Queen Bavmorda. So essentially, what was supposed to be a trip to the crossroads to find another human to take care of Elora Danan became an adventure that took Willow to his limit and beyond as he had to find the confidence he’d been lacking and prove that he was in fact far more capable than he’d believed. So yes, there are a lot of recognizable tropes within the story, but Willow’s tale also included quite a few unique moments that broke up the monotony in a big way.
That’s why a TV show is going to be great since it feels like there’s a lot more story to tell.
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