Despite Willow being viewed negatively by the public, Jonathan Kasdan still hopes he can continue Willow’s story for another season.
Willow arrived on Disney+ to an unusual reception, much more pleasing to critics than the original 1988 film, but cut short by audiences. The sequel series has released three episodes so far, which has been a reasonable success on Disney+. However, it has failed to win over many fans and the series currently has a rating of 24% Rotten tomatoes. However, that hasn’t stopped discussions about a second season. Show runner Jonathan Kasdan recently revealed that he has already begged Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy to allow him to continue Willow’s journey.
The series of Willow throws audiences back into the dark fantasy world of Warwick Davis’ titular hero. This means swords, sorcery, an epic quest and a little bit of danger and intrigue. While critics have jumped on board Willow bandwagon, giving the series an 84% approval rating as opposed to the 53% the original movie has, the question is whether audiences will stick with the show enough to win a second season. However, Kasdan has plenty of ideas and wants the chance to bring them to life. He told Comic. com:
“We’re definitely working on it and I beg Kathy [Kennedy] because working with these actors and this crew of filmmakers on this show was the best experience. We still feel like there are a lot of stories and bigger places to visit.”
Does Madmartigan’s physical absence matter to Willow?
When it comes to legacy sequels, whether in the form of a movie or TV series, there is an expectation that certain characters will reappear in the story in some way. While Joanne Whalley joins Warwick Davis in the series, one person in particular is missing from Val Kilmer’s opening episodes Madmartigan. While Kilmer’s health issues have been a huge hurdle for the actor in recent years, it seems Madmartigan was considered to appear on the show at one point. Kasdan previously revealed:
“I approached Val the moment there was momentum around. I told him right away that I wanted him to be a part of the story. He really wanted to be that, and he was determined to be that. And like a lot of things that happened , COVID made it very difficult for him to fly to Wales at the time it seemed too sad to all of us, and frankly not good for the story we were telling, that Madmartigan was dead, and as a result he’s not in this world. He will come back towards the end of the season in as meaningful a way as we thought we could, while leaving the door open for us to continue building.”
The series of Willow would have Madmartigan’s ghost running through it, and Kasdan has even speculated about being able to reprise the character in future seasons of Willow if he can. While all this remains to be seen, those who enjoy it will enjoy it Willow will be happy to know that there are still five episodes to go and lots of adventure coming to Disney+ in the coming weeks.