One of the shows I’m most excited for in all of 2022 is the new live-action Willow headed to Disney+ this November. It’s basically an early Christmas present.
I loved Willow as a kid and still do. I consider it one of my formative fantasy films, and its influence on my taste in all things fantasy is right up there with The Lord of the Rings, The Prydain Chronicles, Dragonlance and The Last Unicorn.
As much as anything, it was the cast of wonderful characters that made Willow so wonderful. Sure, it was a derivative story that Lucas clearly cribbed off of Tolkien (much as he borrowed liberally from Frank Herbert’s Dune for Star Wars) but it was so charming with such great swashbuckling adventure, I really don’t care. I think of Willow as a masterful mashup of Indiana Jones and The Lord of the Rings.
Plus, it’s funny and full of heart—two things often missing from a lot of modern fantasy, which either sits squarely in the grimdark category or is so caught up in looking fantastical and epic that the script takes a backseat.
Willow (2022)
The new Willow looks magical and whimsical in all the right ways. Naturally, it’s a shame that Val Kilmer’s roguish swordsman, Madmartigan, won’t appear but we do get some members of the old cast, including Warwick Davis’s titular wizard, Joanne Whalley’s Sorsha (I had such a crush on Sorsha as a kid) and—happiest of surprises—Kevin Pollack’s hilarious Brownie, Rool (but no Franjean?)
Other main cast members include Ruby Cruz (Kit), Erin Kellyman (Jade), Ellie Bamber (Dove), Dempsey Bryk (Airk), Amar Chadha-Patel (Boorman) and Tony Revolori (Graydon). Christian Slater is also joining the cast, which is pretty fun. The last show I saw him in was Mr. Robot which I thoroughly enjoyed. Of course, in this setting he’ll call to mind his role as Will Scarlett in Robin Hood.
The trailer captures pretty much everything I want out of a return to the fantastical land of Andowyne. Swashbuckling adventure, the rise of a dread new evil, a colorful cast of interesting characters and plenty of humor (including a funny bit about being tied up in a tent, which felt very much in keeping with Madmartigan’s various romantic faux pas).
Willow comes to Disney+ on November 30th. I’ll definitely be reviewing this one—and please, dear gods of fantasy adaptations, I pray unto thee: Make it good.
You can watch the first Willow trailer right here. Are you excited for the new show? Trepidatious? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook.
Here are some screenshots from the new trailer:
(L-R): Graydon (Tony Revolori), Kit (Ruby Cruz), Jade (Erin Kellyman), Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel) … [+]
(L-R): Graydon (Tony Revolori), Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel), Dove (Ellie Bamber), Kit (Ruby Cruz), … [+]
(L-R): Dove (Ellie Bamber), Kit (Ruby Cruz), Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel), Graydon (Tony Revolori) … [+]
Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) in Lucasfilm’s WILLOW exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & … [+]
(L-R): A mudmander and Graydon (Tony Revolori) in Lucasfilm’s WILLOW exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 … [+]
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2022/09/11/a-familiar-brownie-shows-up-in-the-delightful-new-willow-trailer/