Disney+ has released the teaser trailer for “Willow,” the Lucasfilm and Imagine Entertainment series that serves as a sequel to the 1988 fantasy film of the same name.
The company revealed the first look footage during its Star Wars Celebration event in Anaheim, with star Warwick Davis, creator Jonathan Kasdan, the original film’s director Ron Howard, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and some of the series’ cast on hand.
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“It’s a dream to return to this character,” Davis said onstage. “Making this movie was one of the best experiences of my life.”
Davis’ Willow narrates much of the teaser, reintroducing viewers to the mystical world of the original film.
“There is a balance between all things — light and shadow, good and evil,” Willow says. “When that balance is upset, the universe corrects. … Into the unknown, that’s where we must go.”
In addition to the first look, the “Willow” crew announced that the new series will begin streaming November 30 on Disney+.
Davis starred in the original 1988 “Willow,” alongside Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Billy Barty and Jean Marsh. The film followed Davis’ Willow, an aspiring magician from a Nelwyn village, who is reluctantly drawn into a quest to protect a special infant who is prophesied to overthrow an an evil queen.
Disney+’s “Willow” is described as an “epic period fantasy series with a modern sensibility, set in an enchanted land of breathtaking beauty” and continues the adventure as an unlikely group of heroes set off on a dangerous quest, where they must face their inner demons and come together to save their world. The series’ cast includes Ruby Cruz (“Mare of Easttown”), Erin Kellyman (“The Falcon and Winter Soldier”), Ellie Bamber (“The Serpent”), Tony Revolori (“Spider-Man: No Way Home”), Amar Chadha Patel (“The Third Day”) and Dempsey Bryk (“The Birch”). Kasdan, who previously teamed with Howard and Lucasfilm for “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” developed the series and wrote the pilot episode.
The Howard-directed film was a joint production venture between Lucasfilm, MGM and Imagine Entertainment. The original film grossed $137.6 million worldwide against a $35 million budget, going on to have a lucrative run on home video. The film received two Oscar nominations in the categories of sound editing and visual effects.
The Disney+ series “Willow” hails from Lucasfilm and represents the first non-“Star Wars” venture from the company since its acquisition by Disney. Kasdan and Wendy Maricle serve as showrunners with Kasdan, Howard, Wendy Mericle, Kennedy, and Michelle Rejwan as executive producers.
The “Willow” trailer is one of the many reveals featured during Thursday’s Star Wars Celebration event. Other major news include a full-length trailer for the upcoming “Andor” and “Ahsoka” series, “The Mandalorian” Season 3 and news about “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” which debuts May 27 on Disney+.
Watch the full “Willow” trailer here:
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