Willow

[Kyberwulf]

So, apparently they are making a Willow Tv show.

I don't know how this slipped under my radar. Anyone else optimistically hopeful about this one? I must say, out of the two movies I hope they never mess up again(the other being Princess Bride) this movie had a special place in my heart.

Did anyone else know they were making a TV series out of this movie?

[Palanan]

Yup, saw the trailer a while ago. I think the title was also mentioned in one of the montages of upcoming shows.

I was never really that drawn to the original, so no particular emotion for this one. But Disney+ has shown they're capable of spinning gold from straw, on very rare occasion, so I'll give it a look when it comes out.

[Dragonus45]

I've heard about it. I maintain caution optimism. Everyone seems to have their heart in the right place at least.

[t209]

There were novels that stated what happened after the movie.
Maybe the series would cover them.

[Dire_Flumph]

There were novels that stated what happened after the movie.
Maybe the series would cover them.

I really hope not. Willow Ufgood transforming into 90's anti-hero Thorn Drumheller isn't something I have any desire to go through again. But what we've seen so far seems completely different from those books.

Not sure what to expect, the original movie didn't really leave much unique worldbuilding to build off of for sequels, but I'll give this a fair shake.

[Dragonus45]

I really hope not. Willow Ufgood transforming into 90's anti-hero Thorn Drumheller isn't something I have any desire to go through again. But what we've seen so far seems completely different from those books.

Not sure what to expect, the original movie didn't really leave much unique worldbuilding to build off of for sequels, but I'll give this a fair shake.

...as someone who missed the books entirely I feel like this sentence needs context. So much context.

[Wintermoot]

...as someone who missed the books entirely I feel like this sentence needs context. So much context.

The books in question were written by Chris Claremont, you know of x-men fame. They take place many years after the original movie. Mad Martigan and Sorcha are dead and their adopted daughter, Elora Danon, is a teenager, of the rebellious, anti-authority, tattoo and body piercing variety. Willow has abandoned his family and people and become a wandering wolverine like gruff wizard calling himself "Thorn Drumheller".

Not sure what other context to give you. They were not great IMO.

[Dragonus45]

The books in question were written by Chris Claremont, you know of x-men fame. They take place many years after the original movie. Mad Martigan and Sorcha are dead and their adopted daughter, Elora Danon, is a teenager, of the rebellious, anti-authority, tattoo and body piercing variety. Willow has abandoned his family and people and become a wandering wolverine like gruff wizard calling himself "Thorn Drumheller".

Not sure what other context to give you. They were not great IMO.

...that was all I needed. Or will ever need again. I hope to god that we don't get that plotline in the books.

[Sam113097]

Looks like we're safe - according to Slashfilm, and based on the trailer, it's a wholly new storyline:


Plot-wise, the "Willow" show doesn't seem to be recycling any elements from "Chronicles of the Shadow War," a trilogy of sequel novels to the original movie that Chris Claremont wrote (based on a story outline by Lucas) in the 1990s. Rather, the Disney+ series reportedly takes place many years after the movie's events and revolves around a new generation of heroes. Their ranks include Kit, a princess who sets out to rescue her kidnapped twin brother with the aid of Jade, a servant training to become a warrior, and Dove, a kitchen maid. Also along for the ride is Boorman, a thief who joins the show's other leads on their quest to avoid being imprisoned.

[animorte]

I've heard about it. I maintain caution optimism. Everyone seems to have their heart in the right place at least.

As soon as I first heard about it, I also approached the idea with cautious optimism. I genuinely liked the movie and don’t really know whether or not it should be left alone.

Perhaps this is them taking an opportunity to create a better world after than what the novels provided (didn’t read them, myself).

We shall see.

[Traab]

I mean, there was a lot of open ended stuff in the movie that could easily be a series. Prequel times that led up to the present, what happened afterwards, either to willow himself, or to the kingdom after the dark queen whatever her name was died. Exploring the various peoples willow and crew came across and what their lives were like. Apparently the series wont be about any of that at all, so im not entirely sure how this can be considered Willow: The TV show.

[Manga Shoggoth]

The books in question were written by Chris Claremont, you know of x-men fame. They take place many years after the original movie. Mad Martigan and Sorcha are dead and their adopted daughter, Elora Danon, is a teenager, of the rebellious, anti-authority, tattoo and body piercing variety. Willow has abandoned his family and people and become a wandering wolverine like gruff wizard calling himself "Thorn Drumheller".

Not sure what other context to give you. They were not great IMO.

That's putting it mildly. I only read the first one and ignored the others because it was so bad.

[danzibr]

Nice! I remember liking Willow a lot as a kid.

Gotta wonder if the old Willow NES game will get any love…

[Kyberwulf]

Yeah, I tried reading the books. I couldn't really get into them. It just didn't feel like the characters.

[animorte]

Apparently the series wont be about any of that at all, so im not entirely sure how this can be considered Willow: The TV show.

Because Warwick Davis happens to reprise his role as Willow, and for no other reason.

It’s entirely possible that all the streams of seemingly unrelated stories and adventures lead into the vast ocean that is Willow. That’s just more of a clever thing that, quite frankly, feels a bit out of reach for most modern story-tellers. We consist of an impatient society.

[Traab]

Because Warwick Davis happens to reprise his role as Willow, and for no other reason.

It’s entirely possible that all the streams of seemingly unrelated stories and adventures lead into the vast ocean that is Willow. That’s just more of a clever thing that, quite frankly, feels a bit out of reach for most modern story-tellers. We consist of an impatient society.

Ah, I miss read the synopsis and assumed that many years in the future meant outside the lifespan of previous characters. But an older wizard willow could be nice, even if he is basically deckard caine and nothing else.

[DarthArminius]

So, apparently they are making a Willow Tv show.

I don't know how this slipped under my radar. Anyone else optimistically hopeful about this one? I must say, out of the two movies I hope they never mess up again(the other being Princess Bride) this movie had a special place in my heart.

Did anyone else know they were making a TV series out of this movie?

Oh hell yeah! A warning though, Willow is a fun fairy tale meant to capture the spirit of innocence and good vs evil. Apparently the series is going to go the Dungeons and Dragons route.

::groan::

[Psyren]

Well, the good news is it's Disney+ rather than Netflix. Given how quickly the latter axed Dark Crystal I would have pretty low hopes for this one surviving, but Disney is probably itching for non-Marvel stuff they can put on the platform.

[Dire_Flumph]

Well, the good news is it's Disney+ rather than Netflix. Given how quickly the latter axed Dark Crystal I would have pretty low hopes for this one surviving, but Disney is probably itching for non-Marvel stuff they can put on the platform.

Ugh. I'm surprised how sore I still am about that. Didn't even get the customary "2 seasons then cancel" that Netflix loves to do.

[Dame_Mechanus]

I am overwhelmingly excited about this. Willow (the film) was a major touchstone for my father and I, something we watched dozens of times together and that was a major formative part of my childhood. It's a charming film with a whole lot of things that are just nice, clever, gentle twists on the fantasy formula in so many ways. Yes, as an older woman it's clear that there are weak points and stuff that wasn't clear to me as a teenager (like the subtle jab at Pauline Kael), but so much of it is a reminder that there was a time when George Lucas was genuinely a strange, iconoclastic creator who mixed ideas and tropes together in strange and unforeseeable ways, giving us a remarkably energetic and fun fantasy film that really makes the most of its cast in so many subtle ways.

(Also it didn't hurt that Joanne Whalley as Sorsha was a formative influence on my preferred aesthetic and early crushes.)

The idea of a TV series originally didn't strike me as something all that interesting beyond the fact that Warwick Davis is an excellent actor and he deserves to get a Disney-funded paycheck, but the trailer sold me as soon as it showed older Willow with his staff, hinting at the idea that Willow himself had continued down the path of sorcery he started by the end of the film. About the only thing that makes me a little bit sad is that Val Kilmer is unable to be involved as Madmartigan, though it's understandable considering the toll that cancer took on him. (It helps that the staff has stated they were in communication with him and he is not uninvolved - clearly this is a project made with a love for the original.)

So yes, this is something exciting to me. Honestly cannot wait. And hey, it's nice to see a series appealing to nostalgia I actually have instead of my desire to see more Star Wars prequels and sidequels.


Ugh. I'm surprised how sore I still am about that. Didn't even get the customary "2 seasons then cancel" that Netflix loves to do.

Yeah, that was a remarkably fun series with some interesting potential that just got thrown away awfully fast, just as the first season ended with a lot of promise.

[Zalabim]

The books in question were written by Chris Claremont, you know of x-men fame. They take place many years after the original movie. Mad Martigan and Sorcha are dead and their adopted daughter, Elora Danon, is a teenager, of the rebellious, anti-authority, tattoo and body piercing variety. Willow has abandoned his family and people and become a wandering wolverine like gruff wizard calling himself "Thorn Drumheller".

Not sure what other context to give you. They were not great IMO.

I remember reading the books a long time ago and liking some of the new characters, the world, and the theme. I felt like Elora Danon was like a princess on an adventure, surviving thanks to luck, a positive attitude, and a soul that is so pure she can befriend always chaotic evil and blue and orange morality creatures. Plus I'm a sucker for the resolution with the Imposter in the third book.

I have generally positive memories of the series but not so positive that I'd recommend someone else read it.

[Psyren]

Yeah, that was a remarkably fun series with some interesting potential that just got thrown away awfully fast, just as the first season ended with a lot of promise.

I didn't hate it... but I couldn't help but question the idea of doing such a dramatic/serious story with a bunch of puppets.

I don't know much about the plot for the Willow series but I imagine, given that it will be a D+ show, that there will at least be more whimsy.

[Dame_Mechanus]

I didn't hate it... but I couldn't help but question the idea of doing such a dramatic/serious story with a bunch of puppets.

Honestly I have a feeling that this is what killed it. For some people you quickly got over the fact that they were all puppets and it just worked, you felt connected to the characters and their struggles, and it felt like a connection to the world in a tactile sense in the same way as the (also surprisingly dark and serious) original. And for some people... they were puppets and you could never get over the fact that they were puppets. That's not a failing of the audience, mind you, it's just... it was always going to be an issue, and I suspect that coupled with the expense meant that it needed to be a bigger hit than it was to get even a second season.

Still sad to me, though.


I don't know much about the plot for the Willow series but I imagine, given that it will be a D+ show, that there will at least be more whimsy.

They had a "meet the cast" short that indicated, at least to me, that the series will have a similar sense of humor to the original film; warm without everyone inherently being friendly, in other words.

[KorvinStarmast]

There were novels that stated what happened after the movie.Maybe the series would cover them.

They were not great IMO. I read them, not sure if I still have them in a box somewhere. I liked them well enough. A different feel than the movie, to be sure.