Willow Disney+ series: Stephen Woolfenden directing, Ruby Cruz leads cast

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The Disney+ series that serves as a follow-up to the 1988 dark fantasy film Willow (watch it HERE) had to replace two different pilot directors before it could get rolling. Back at the start of the year, we heard that Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu, who was originally announced as the pilot director, had to leave the project because the production schedule conflicted with an event in his personal life. Jonathan Entwistle of I Am Not Okay with This quickly stepped in to replace Chu – but now it has been revealed that Entwistle also had to leave the project because of a scheduling issue. The show's producing director Stephen Woolfenden (Outlander) was chosen to replace Entwistle – and the good news here is that Woolfenden has already finished shooting the first two episodes, so we don't have to worry about another pilot director shake-up.

The schedule became a problem for Entwistle when the start of production on Willow was delayed by an "extensive recasting process" that saw cast member Cailee Spaeny (The Craft: Legacy), whose character Princess Kit is a lead role, being replaced by Ruby Cruz, who played the teenage Annie Wilkes on the Stephen King-inspired series Castle Rock. Spaeny and Cruz were both recently seen in the HBO Max show Mare of Easttown. Instead of waiting for the new production start date, Entwistle had to leave Willow to get to work on his Apple TV+ series Hello Tomorrow.

Scripted by Bob Dolman from a story by George Lucas, the 1988 Willow had the following synopsis: 

Journey to the far corners of your imagination, where dreams and reality live side by side. Enter the world of WILLOW, the biggest and most spectacular epic adventure to ever explode across the screen. From master storytellers George Lucas and Ron Howard comes this rare odyssey of unlikely heroes, wicked villains, and innocent souls caught in a mysterious realm of battle, magic, and camaraderie.

It all begins with Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), who leaves his village to carry a special baby to safety. Aided by a swashbuckling warrior (Val Kilmer), Willow's quest is plagued by danger as the Powers of Darkness scheme to destroy the child – a child destined to bring everlasting peace and freedom to the land.

Dolman is a consulting producer on the series. Julia Cooperman is producer, and Roopesh Parekh and Hannah Friedman are co-executive producers. Willow is being executive produced by Jonathan Kasdan, Wendy Mericle, Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, and the film's director Ron Howard. Kasdan wrote the pilot episode and serves as showrunner alongside Mericle.

The series will 

take place years after the events of the original film. It introduces all-new characters to the enchanted realm of fairy queens and two-headed Eborsisk monsters, and welcomes back its hero, Willow Ufgood. 

Warwick Davis reprises the role of Willow Ufgood, and is joined in the cast by Cruz, Ellie Bamber, Erin Kellyman, and Tony Revolori. According to casting information, the series follows 

a group on a mission to save a kidnapped prince. The members of the team include Dove (Bamber), whose backstory resembles that of Willow from the movie. Dove is an unassuming kitchen maid who proves she is the “chosen one” as she embarks on the journey. She is joined by Kit (Cruz), the princess whose twin brother was abducted. She is destined to be a leader and ultimately the queen. Kellyman plays Jade, a servant who is Kit’s best friend and moral compass. She is on her way to becoming the best young warrior in the kingdom. Also part of the group is a guy who echoes Val Kilmer’s character in the movie. A thief and liar, he joins the quest in exchange for getting out of prison.

Filming is taking place in Wales, where much of the movie was shot.