Willow Just Got An Incredible Upgrade On Disney+
As the upcoming television series Willow prepares to be released on streaming platform Disney+, the film of the same name has been given quite an upgrade. The 1988 movie directed by Ron Howard and starring Val Kilmer will be rereleased with a 4K Ultra HD version, equipped with Dolby Vision and HDR10 audio, according to details reported by What’s On Disney Plus. Apparently, the original film version will not also be given a new Lucasfilm opening credit, as the studio was acquired by Disney and many Lucasfilm properties like Star Wars are featured on the subscription streaming service.
Willow is a fantasy action adventure film released in 1988, with a story by George Lucas and an ensemble cast that included Val Kilmer, Warwick Davis, English actor Joanne Whalley, the late Billy Barty, and Jean Marsh. The film concerns young Willow Ufgood (Davis) who discovers an abandoned baby who will one day take over the reign of Queen Bavmorda. His perilous journey to protect the baby from the evil queen involves teaming up with a mercenary swordsman (Kilmer) in order to overcome dark forces along the way.
When it was released in theaters in 1988 and before Willow would end up as a Disney property. Willow went on to gross over $137 million at the box office against a budget of $35 million. It was not a great showing for a would-be blockbuster as many predicted at the time, but the film did net a decent profit by doing very well for viewers buying it on VHS and home video, making it a cult classic for the ages while spurring George Lucas and Ron Howard to consider making a sequel in some capacity at a later date.
Warwick Davis will reprise his role as Willow Ufgood in the new Willow series that is set to debut on Disney+ on November 30th. Along with the new 4K version of the film Willow, the new Disney+ series will set the stage as a sequel to the movie with a new generation of characters as Willow and a group of heroes embark on a quest to save the world and themselves. The Disney+ show will feature performances by Ruby Cruz, Marvel Cinematic Universe star Erin Kellyman, English actor Ellie Bamber, Spider-Man: Homecoming performer Tony Revolori, and Joanne Whalley reprising her role as Sorsha, a warrior and daughter of the former Queen Bavmorda.
Willow, the Disney+ series, is created by Jonathan Kasdan who wrote the screenplay for Ron Howard’s other fantastic epic, Solo: A Star Wars Story. Val Kilmer was unable to reprise his role as Madmartigan as the actor was still recovering from complications with throat cancer, which also made his character of Iceman much more of a cameo role in this summer’s blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, starring Tom Cruise and Miles Teller. However, the character may still be referenced in the new television series since many of the same characters from the film are coming back in a new way.
