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Willow is coming back! The upcoming series is a sequel to 1988's dark, adventure fantasy film of the same name and is developed by screenwriter Jonanthan Kasdan.
As per IMDb, the synopsis reads:
"Twenty years after vanquishing the wicked queen Bavmorda, the sorcerer Willow Ufgood leads a group of misfits on a dangerous rescue mission into the unknown."
The trailer was released in October 2022, and it seems that the new series will be an action-packed comedy.
Wawick Davis returns to the series as Willow Ufgood, but Val Kilmer aka Madmartigan will be missed. Meanwhile, Joanne Whalley, Kevin Pollak, and Rick Overton will also reprise their roles.
Let’s see what the original cast members were up to in these 34 years.
What are the Willow cast members up to now?
1) Warwick Davis is back as Willow
Having debuted in 1983 as Wicket W. Warrick in Return of the Jedi, 52-year-old Davis has come a long way.
The English actor was already known before his role in Willow, but it was the film that catapulted him to exceptional fame. Davis went on to star in six installments of Leprechaun (1993-96, 2000 and 2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), and several Harry Potter films.
The 1.07m-tall star also presented game shows like Celebrity Squares (2014–2015) and Tenable (2016–2021). He co-owns Willow Management with his father-in-law Peter Burroughs.
2) Val Kilmer/Madmartigan
As mentioned above, Val Kilmer’s character, the disgraced knight Madmartigan is not returnin to the series.
Explaining his absence, Kasdan said that while Kilmer “could not have been more enthusiastic and game” about reprising Madmartigan, the pandemic derailed the plan. He, however, assured that the boastful mercenary swordsman is still a part of the Willowverse.
He said that Val was the spirit of the film and it was too big a thing to "not want and covet having" in the show. He added that he hopes that a "comes when Madmartigan is revealed."
Kilmer is also known for his performances in The Doors (1991), Tombstone (1993), True Romance (1993), and Heat (1995). He replaced the OG Batman, Michael Keaton in 1995's Batman Forever. One of the best-paid actors of the ‘90s, the Californian has been termed the “most unsung leading man of his generation.”
After fighting throat cancer, the 62-year-old was last seen as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
3) Joanne Whalley/Sorsha
Joanne Whalley is known for Scandal (1989), Storyville (1992), The Secret Rapture (1993), Scarlett (1994), and Mother's Boys (1994).
The 61-year-old English actor got nominated for The Borgias (2011) at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. She went on to star in numerous TV films like Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, The Challenger Disaster, The Ark, and shows like Daredevil.
Whalley was last seen in the 2020 releases Tin Star and Love Is Love Is Love.
She married her Willow co-star Val Kilmer in 1988 and they divorced eight years later. They have a son, actor Jack Kilmer.
4) Kevin Pollak/comical brownie Rool
Apart from being a noted actor and stand-up comedian, Kevin Pollak is also an impressionist and has skillfully mimicked several celebrities.
As an actor, the California native is known for Ricochet (1991), A Few Good Men (1992), End of Days (1999), The Wedding Planner (2001), The Usual Suspects (1995), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), and Deterrence (1999).
On the small screen, he was seen in The Lost Room (2006), Shark (2008), The Writers Room on Crackle, Mom (2014), Better Things (2016), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017).
Pollak’s recent podcast is Alchemy This after his successful stints in Kevin Pollak's Chat Show and Talkin Walkin.
5) Rick Overton/Franjean
Rick Overton, a New York native, was one of the writers of the HBO weekly talk show Dennis Miller Live, which ran from 1994 to 2002 across 215 episodes. He won an Emmy for his writing.
Apart from Willow, his performances in the 1993 comedy films Groundhog Day and Mrs. Doubtfire were also lauded. As for TV roles, people love Overton’s performances in the 2005 shows Alias and Joan Of Arcadia, and in movie A Fork in the Road.
Overton is the host of the Overview podcast and will return on Showtime's open mic night show I'm Dying Up Here.
Willow is set to hit Disney+ on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. Watch the original film on the same platform.
