“Solo” co-writer Jonathan Kasdan has completed a pilot script for a series based on the cult classic “Willow.”

The enchanting world of “Willow,” created by George Lucas, is officially coming to the small screen.

Disney Plus has confirmed a sequel series taking place years after the events of the original Ron Howard-directed pic is heading into production next year. Howard is returning to the project as executive producer alongside original star Warwick Davis, who will once again play the titular hero Willow Ufgood.

The series has also tapped “Crazy Rich Asians” and “In the Heights” director Jon M. Chu to helm the pilot and exec produce. Jonathan Kasdan(“Solo”)and Wendy Mericle (“Arrow”) will serve as showrunners.

“Willow” the series hails from Lucasfilm and represents the company’s first non-“Star Wars” venture since 2015. The show will introduce all-new characters to the magical realm of fairy queens and two-headed Eborsisk monsters. News of the official greenlight from Disney Plus comes over a year after the project was first reported as coming down the pipeline.



The original film centered on Davis’ Willow, who reluctantly forced into playing a critical role in protecting a special infant named Elora Danan from an evil queen (Jean Marsh). A prophecy told that Elora would bring the queen’s downfall. Willow was helped along the way by a mercenary swordsman, played by Val Kilmer. It also starred Joanne Whalley, Billy Barty and Kevin Pollak.

“Growing up in the’80s, ‘Willow’ has had a profound effect on me,” said Chu in a statement. “The story of the bravest heroes in the least likely places allowed me, an Asian-American kid growing up in a Chinese restaurant looking to go to Hollywood, to believe in the power of our own will, determination and of course, inner magic. So the fact that I get to work with my heroes from Kathleen Kennedy to Ron Howard is bigger than a dream come-true. It’s a bucket-list moment for me. Jon Kasdan and Wendy Mericle have added such groundbreaking new characters and delightful surprises to this timeless story that I can’t wait for the world to come along on this epic journey with us.”

Bob Dolman, writer of the original film, serves as consulting producer, with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy on board as an EP alongside Michelle Rejwan. Howard’s Imagine Television is producnig, with the company’s Roopesh Parekh and Hannah Friedman in place as co-executive producers. Julia Cooperman will produce.

“It’s creatively exciting to not only revisit the world and characters first conceived by George Lucas, Bob Dolman and myself but to see it take flight in such fresh, fun and cinematic ways through the imagination of Jon Kasdan and Team Willow,” added Howard. “This isn’t a nostalgic throw-back, it’s a creative lean-forward and it’s a blast to be a part of it all.”

EXCLUSIVE: Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals), Cailee Spaeny (The Craft: Legacy) and Erin Kellyman (Solo) are in negotiations for the three female leads in Willow, Disney+ and Lucasfilm’s upcoming TV series follow-up to the 1988 fantasy movie, with the film’s star Warwick Davis reprising his title role, I have learned. The new incarnation of Willow comes from Jonathan Kasdan, who wrote the pilot and serves as co-showrunner alongside Wendy Mericle; Jon M. Chu, who will direct the pilot episode; the original film’s director Ron Howard and writer Bob Dolman; as well as Lucasfilm, which produced the movie. A rep for Disney+ declined comment.

The Willow movie, written by Dolman from a story by George Lucas, starred Davis as a reluctant farmer who leads a ragtag crew on a quest to protect a special baby from a tyrannical queen who vows to destroy her.

The series, which marks Lucasfilm’s first venture into non-Star Wars storytelling since 2015, will take place years after the events of the film. It introduces all-new characters to the enchanted realm of fairy queens and two-headed Eborsisk monsters, and welcomes back its hero Willow Ufgood (Davis).

No additional details about the series’ storyline have been released. According to circulated casting information for the series, it revolves around a group on a mission to save a kidnapped prince. The members of the team include Dove (Bamber), whose backstory resembles that of Willow from the movie. Dove is an unassuming kitchen maid who proves she is the “chosen one” as she embarks on the journey. She is joined by Kit (Spaeny), the princess whose twin brother was abducted. She is destined to be a leader and ultimately the queen. Kellyman plays Jade, a servant who is Kit’s best friend and moral compass. She is on her way to becoming the best young warrior in the kingdom. Also part of the group is a guy who echoes Val Kilmer’s character in the movie. A thief and liar, he joins the quest in exchange for getting out of prison.

Chu serves as executive producer alongside Kasdan, Mericle, Howard and Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy and Michelle Rejwan. Dolman is a consulting producer. Roopesh Parekh and Hannah Friedman are co-executive producers; Julia Cooperman is a producer.

The series is slated to film in Wales, where much of the original film was shot.

Willow reunites Kellyman with Lucasfilm, Kasdan and Howard after co-starring in Lucasfilm’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, directed by Howard and co-written by Kasdan. The series also brings back together Brits Bamber and Kellyman who co-starred together on BBC’s Les Misérables.

Spaeny recently headlined The Craft reboot, The Craft: Legacy. Her feature credits also include Pacific Rim: Uprising, On the Basis of Sex and Vice. On TV, she co-starred on the FX on Hulu limited series Devs and will next be seen in another limited series, HBO’s Mare of Easttown. She is repped by WME, Identity Agency Group and Hansen Jacobson Teller.

Kellyman appears as Enfys Nest, leader of the rebel Cloud Riders, in Solo: A Star Wars Story. She also has been rumored for a key role on another high-profile upcoming Disney+ series, Marvel’s Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Kellyman is repped by CAA, Curtis Brown and Lucy Popkin.

Bamber earned awards recognition for her lead role in High Resolution. Her feature credits also include Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms and Extracurricular Activities. She is repped by UTA and Curtis Brown.