Jon Kasdan Says The Show’s Death Information Is Greatly Exaggerated
Following a Deadline report that Disney Plus had canceled willow, the television series based on George Lucas’ 1988 fantasy adventure, the show’s producer Jon Kasdan has tweeted out a correction. “Neither I nor the folks at Lucasfilm would have or really characterized it that way.”
According to Kasdan, willow is not dead, he is sleeping.
Kasdan’s thread continues for two more tweet Alsonoting the general slowdown in production in the entertainment industry, but especially streaming, and the logistics of programming around your cast commitments.
“The truth is less stark (than cancellation),” he wrote, “but here it is: A decision was made last week to free up our main cast for other series opportunities that may arise for them in the coming year. With all the TV and movies in production around the world, it seems unfair to limit an actor’s availability without having a clear idea when you’ll need them again.
According to Kasdan, season 2 of willow is, if not completely written, planned significantly, and some characters with small roles in the first season, like Annabelle Davis’ Mims, will have much bigger ones in the novella. But since their initial contracts didn’t include as much work for Season 2, they are now busy with other projects.
“Due to much larger and more complex forces that I would never claim to fully understand,” says Kasdan, “streaming show production is slowing industry-wide, and Willow will not be resuming filming in the next 12 months. But here’s what’s just as true: With the enthusiastic and unwavering support of Lucasfilm and Disney, we’ve developed and written what we hope will be a funnier, richer, darker, and better VOLUME II that builds on the characters and story of our first eight chapters (The Wyrm Survives!).”
The Wyrm is the dark evil force worshiped by the Crone, the ultimate antagonist of willowthe first season. Although the Wyrm made no direct appearance in willowof the first season, Kasdan clearly had a clear idea of that in November of last year.
“(The Crone is) the emissary of something much bigger, darker and more powerful (…) I loved the idea that for anyone (the Wyrm) we are ants playing barely on the cement, and he just has to reach out and crush us,” Kasdan told Polygon during the willow press tour.
“(The Crone is) the spokesperson for that voice and ends up being really representative to me, oddly enough, more of a worldview and a philosophical view, than she is an outright villain. “, added Kasdan. “There’s a nihilism at the heart of the Crone that I really wanted to explore. And I think even after his story ends, the influence of that philosophical point of view is going to leave a lasting impact on our characters.
In the Twitter thread, Kasdan went on to talk about Season 2’s themes – including courage, desire, acceptance, comedy and beauty in the darkest places, “the enemies we must inevitably face, both without and, often much more insidiously, since in. But, above all, it is about the ineffable and enduring magic of friendship.
So is willow canceled? No, according to its executive producer. But do we know if this will continue? It’s more blurry.
“I have complete confidence that if the appetite for more Willow persists, Disney, Lucasfilm and this amazing cast will satisfy it,” Kasdan wrote in his thread.
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