Disney+ Willow screenwriter clarifies show cancellation
On Thursday evening, the screenwriter for Willow Disney+ television adaptation, Jon Kasdan, took to Twitter to address the alleged cancellation of the show reported by Deadline Hollywood. While there are more details leading into why the show has been shelved more than actually cancelled in Kasdan’s statement, the end result is ultimately still that Willow will not enter pre-production or film its Volume II season within the next 12 months.
“As a lifelong devotee of Deadline Hollywood, I also appreciate that punchy headlines drive clicks,” Kasdan wrote on Twitter. “So I understand how ‘WILLOW CANCELED AFTER ONE SEASON ON DISNEY+’ is fun and juicy. However, as I’m nearly certain I’ve had more conversations about this in the last couple weeks than Nellie Andreeva (of whom I remain an ardent fan), I feel fairly confident that, if asked, neither I, nor the folks at Lucasfilm, would or have actually characterized it quite that way.”
“The truth is less splashy, but here is is: A decision was made last week to release 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 feels unfair to limit an actor’s availability without a clear sense of when you’re going to need them again.”
Kasdan noted that Willow Volume II does have a written script that includes all of the actors for the characters established in the show’s first season. That said, it will not be moving forward in production at this time.
“Due to forces much larger and more intricate than I would ever pretend to fully understand, production of streaming shows is slowing down across the entire industry, and Willow won’t resume filming in the next 12 months. But here’s what’s equally true: with the enthusiastic and unwavering support of Lucasfilm and Disney, we’ve developed and written what we hope is a brain-meltingly fun, richer, darker and better Volume II, which builds on the character and story of our first eight chapters (The Wyrm survives!).”
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