[Video] Warwick Davis Reveals The One Stunt He Won't Do In Disney+'s Willow Sequel

Jonathan Kasdan was eight when he saw Willow in the theatres in 1988.

Of all the Lucasfilm properties of that era (notably Star Wars and Indiana Jones), Ron Howard’s Tolkien-esque fantasy-adventure — about Willow Ufgood (a then 17-year-old Warwick Davis), a pint-sized farmer/aspiring wizard embarking on a perilous journey to protect a baby from an evil queen — stood out the most. The movie also starred Val Kilmer as disgraced knight Madmartigan, Willow’s buddy/protector and Joanne Whalley as Sorsha, the daughter and sword of the queen-turned-Team Willow ally.

“It’s the only one where there has never been a sequel,” Kasdan tells 8days.sg from London via Zoom. “Star Wars, as amazing as it is, has been explored in a lot of ways over the last several decades, and Indiana Jones, with Harrison Ford, has gone on multiple adventures. But Willow is unique is that we got the first chapter of the story but never got another one.”

That, and Willow’s “humour, heart and amazing spectacles” was what won he over. He adds, “The real genius of it all is that there’s a humanity to Willow in the face of these supernatural forces that it relatable and personal.”

Kasdan’s family has a long history with Lucasfilm: his father, Lawrence, co-wrote a handful of its productions, among others, The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark. (Kasdan’s elder brother, Jake, is a filmmaker too, whose credits include Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.)

The opportunity to make a Willow follow-up came knocking when Kasdan spoke with Davis on the set of 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, directed by Howard and penned by Kasdan and his father. “Warwick shared that he’d been fighting for that a long time, and that we all felt that moment was nearing,” he recalls. “When Solo came out, it was about two or three years into the Star Wars-Disney-era, they were firmly positioned with the Star Wars content. Indiana Jones was progressing at a steady pace, and both Warwick and myself and then Ron Howard felt like the time was right for Willow to be the next one.”

And that moment has finally arrived: Willow, the eight-part series will roll out on Disney+ on Nov 30, with Kasdan as showrunner.

Willow (again portrayed by Davis), now a seasoned magic practitioner, embarks on a new perilous quest, at the behest of Princess Kit (Ruby Cruz), the daughter of Madmartigan and Sorsha, to rescue her brother, Prince Airk (Dempsey Bryk), who’s been kidnapped by evil forces. They’re joined by a fellowship of misfits, Kit (Erin Kellyman), Graydon (Tony Revolori), Dove (Ellie Bamber) and Boorman (Amar Chada-Patel).

Below, we ask Davis, 52, how he felt about stepping into Willow’s shoes 35 years after the original movie, making the sequel without Val Kilmer (who was unable to travel to the UK due to Covid-19 restrictions), and if he kept any of the Willow action-figures from back in the day.

Willow premieres on Disney+ on Nov 30. Watch exclusive 8 DAYS interviews on meWATCH and Mediacorp YouTube Channel.

Photos: Disney+, Getty Images