‘Willow’ Series, Based on Ron Howard-George Lucas Film, Debuts on Disney Plus

Warwick Davis in 'Willow'
(Image credit: ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd.)

Willow, a series based on the adventure film of the same name from 1988, debuts on Disney Plus November 30. Ron Howard directed the film, and is an executive producer on the series. George Lucas produced the movie. 

The series centers on an aspiring sorcerer, played by Warwick Davis, who is whisked away on a journey to protect an infant empress Elora Danan and vanquish the evil Queen Bavmorda from their world of Andowyne. Davis’s character leads an unlikely crew of heroes on a quest to protect Andowyne from an even larger foe than they ever imagined. 

The cast also includes Ellie Bamber, Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, Tony Revolori, Amar Chadha-Patel and Dempsey Bryk.

Two episodes, The Gales and The High Aldwin, are available on premiere day. 

A review in the Los Angeles Times said, “There are a lot of opinions among genre fans as to how best to execute such stories, but the series is fantasy as I like it best—funny, fun and just a little frightening, sometimes serious but never self-serious. If my year-end favorites piece were not already filed, Willow would have been a contender.”

Lucasfilm and Imagine Entertainment are producing the series. Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Jonathan Kasdan, Tommy Harper, Wendy Mericle, Roopesh Parekh, Ron Howard and Samie Kim Falvey are executive producers. ■

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.