The Disney+ television series based on the 1988 fantasy film Willow is moving forward and word has it, Erin Kellyman, Cailee Spaeny, and Ellie Bamber are in negotiations for lead roles. The film’s star, Warwick Davis, is set to reprise his role, although in a more supporting capacity. The TV series was concocted by Jonathan Kasdan, who also wrote the pilot and will act as co-showrunner along with Wendy Mericle (Arrow). Kasdan co-wrote Solo: A Star Wars Story with his father, Jake Kasdan. That film was directed by Ron Howard, who also helmed the movie, Willow. (Davis also had a role in Solo.) Jon M. Chu is attached to direct the Willow pilot.
Earlier reports indicated that the show would mainly focus on Elora Danan, the baby that was at the center of the film, but it does not appear that any of the three actors in negotiations are vying for that role. Reportedly, the series will follow a group of adventurers on a mission to rescue a kidnapped prince.
Bamber is said to be playing Dove, who sounds to be the focus of the series as she is described as “the chosen one.” However, like Willow in the movie, she emerges from humble beginnings as a lowly kitchen maid. Spaeny is expected to play Kit, the abducted prince’s twin sister who is destined to be a great leader and queen. (Doesn’t sound too promising for the prince.) Kellyman is supposedly playing Jade, initially Kit’s servant and confidant who is predicted to become the greatest warrior in the kingdom. (Disney has not yet confirmed these negotiations.)
Reportedly, this search party will include a male character who is compared to Madmartigen, the ne’re-do-well hero portrayed by Val Kilmer in the movie. He is described as “A thief and liar, he joins the quest in exchange for getting out of prison.” (courtesy of Deadline)
Kellyman had a role in Solo: A Star Wars Story. She has since appeared in the British miniseries Les Misérables (which co-starred Bamber), Don’t Forget the Driver, and Life. Spaeny most recently co-starred in The Craft: Legacy and the FX on Hulu miniseries Devs. She has also appeared in the movies Pacific Rim: Uprising, Bad Times at the El Royale, On the Basis of Sex, and Vice. Bamber co-starred as Lydia in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and has since appeared in Nocturnal Animals, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and the miniseries The Trial of Christine Keeler and The Serpent.
The Willow TV series is expected to film mainly in Wales, where the original movie was shot.
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