Val Kilmer is set to have a presence in the upcoming Willow series for Disney+, according to star Warwick Davis and executive producer Jonathan Kasdan.
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The two members of the upcoming continuation of the 1988 film recently spoke to Yahoo Entertainment, where they revealed that Kilmer’s character from the original film will be a part of the new series, although they didn’t exactly dive into what Kilmer’s role in the film will be.
“Val’s a huge part of this, and the first conversation I had, when Warwick and I got the green light to do this, was with Val,” Kasdan said. “We wanted his character to be a part of the story. We wanted him to be in the show.”
Kilmer appeared in Willow as Madmartigan, a swordsman who helps Willow on his quest throughout the film. For the legendary actor, it marked just the fourth film that he had ever worked on. However, because of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Kilmer was unable to film anything for the series. Despite that, Kasdan and Warwick did note that he is in the show “in a big way.”
“Because we were shooting during [the COVID-19 lockdowns], he wasn’t able to come to Wales and shoot with us. But he is in the show in a big way, and we’re pretty excited about it,” said Kasdan. “Madmartigan lives on.”
Warwick Davis will reprise his role as Willow Ufgood. However, the spotlight will now fall on Princess Kit (Ruby Cruz), as she has to save her twin brother, who has been kidnapped. Kit won’t be alone on her quest, as a warrior named Jade (Erin Kellyman) and Kit’s maid, Dove (Ellie Bamber), will accompany her. Boorman (Amer Chadha-Patel) also joins the three young women in return for being freed from prison.
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Jonathan Kasdan and Wendy Mericle are showrunning the series. Ron Howard, the director of the original Willow, will produce the series alongside Bob Dolman.