Lucasfilm: Why is Willow going?

It doesn’t always have to be Star Wars: As was recently seen again at Disney’s D23 presentation, Lucasfilm has released a few other films in addition to the star saga. About the Indiana Jones series and a fantasy adventure that should be at least as successful as Star Wars. However, “Willow” was not particularly well received by cinema audiences. Nevertheless, since its premiere in 1988 it has built up a loyal fan base, which must have been particularly pleased when the announcement that a series would continue the story in November 2022. Everyone else should have asked themselves who this Willow actually is.

Willow: That’s what the movie is about

Lucasfilm: In the 80s cult film, Willow has to take care of little Elora.

Source: Lucasfilm/Disney



The film of the same name gives the answer to this question quite quickly. Willow (Warwick Davis) is of the Nelwyn people, who share their lands with the great Daikni (humans) and many other beings. He would like to be a great magician and will soon have the opportunity to prove that he has what it takes. He has to protect little Elora from the evil witch Bavmorda, because the baby bears a special mark. The bearer of this mark is prophesied to end the reign of terror in Bavmorda. Along with the cynical mercenary Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) and later also Bavmorda’s daughter Sorsha, Willow searches for the sorceress Raziel, who might know a way to bring Elora to safety.

Critics had mixed feelings about Willow, and the box office revenue wasn’t nearly as good as Lucasfilm had hoped. Over time, however, the film developed a loyal following that absorbed every scrap of information about Willow and his world.

Games and books as the first sequel

Lucasfilm: Also in the movie Willow has companions who support him.

Source: Lucasfilm/Disney



To address that, there have been releases from the Willow universe time and time again over the past few decades. In addition to board and computer games, the novel trilogy is particularly well-known here, which, based on ideas by George Lucas, continues to tell the story of Elora, who has matured into a teenager. Madmartigan and Sorsha, who became Elora’s foster parents at the end of the film, perish right at the beginning of the novels. Shadow Moon, Shadow Twilight and Shadow Sun are also otherwise very apocalyptic.

Another joke that Lucasfilm made in 2006 is worth mentioning. As an April Fool’s joke, Willow’s homeland was integrated into the official Star Wars universe as the planet “Andowyne”. With this, Lucasfilm acknowledged that some Star Wars fans see Willow as part of the official universe and Warwick Davis has a smaller role in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.

Launch of the Willow series

Lucasfilm: Is Willow still up for new adventures?

Source: Lucasfilm/Disney



After the books, however, Willow went quiet again. Although Warwick Davis said several times that he would definitely play the role again, the plans for a Willow series only became concrete in 2019. At that time it was still planned as a reboot. In 2020, it became clear that the series is a sequel to the Willow film. Ron Howard, who shot the film, took over the production and it quickly became clear that Warwick Davis was also on board. With Sorsha and Elora also set to appear in Season 1, and with the original plan to bring Val Kilmer back as Madmartigan, it’s safe to assume that the novels will no longer be an official part of the Willow universe once the series comes out.

What Willow’s new adventure is about is still unclear. However, the first trailers suggest the following: After many years of peace, Willow’s world is again threatened by an evil force. Sorsha’s daughter Kit therefore goes in search of Willow, who lives as a secluded magician in his old home village. Aided by a group of adventurers and Sorsha herself, they embark on a journey that will take them far beyond the confines of their own world.