Warwick Davis Says Disney+ Removing WILLOW Sequel Series is "Embarrassing"
As you know, Disney canceled its Willow sequel series after only one season, and then they later removed that season from Disney+. Over the weekend, franchise star Warwick Davis took to social media to call out Disney on its decision, and said it’s “embarrassing.”
Davis said: "I meet lovely people on a daily basis who are fans of #Willow, who are the reason the @DisneyPlus Series was made. Please tell me @WaltDisneyCo, what do I say to these subscribers when they ask why they can't watch the series any more? #embarrassing.”
The original Willow movie is one of my favorite fantasy films. I loved that movie as a kid and I was actually really excited about this sequel series, but it ended up being a huge disappointment for me and a lot of other fans. I know there are people who enjoyed it, but for me, the writing and the story were very weak and the modern sensibilities that they added to the show completely pulled me out of the world. There were just a lot of bad creative decisions.
The budget for Willow was $105.9 million, which means the studio spent more than $13 million per episode. That’s crazy to me, especially with how mediocre the show turned out. It’s a shame because, in the end, the Willow sequel series ended up being a tax write-off for Disney.
Jonathan Kasdan was the brains behind the show and he previously explained that he was looking to make the show feel fresh and unexpected, saying they wanted to do something that was contemporary to this moment, and that’s one of the many reasons it didn’t click with me.
After Disney canceled the series, Kasdan was in denial and he came out saying that the series had not been canceled and that Volume II was being planned. When explaining that the reports of the show's cancellation were exaggerated, he explained:
"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. It's further trivialised by the simple reality that the scripts we've been working on require just as many actors with whom no such contractual hold exists."
The showrunner also shared his hopes that Volume II would deliver a “brain-melting fun, richer, darker and better” story. But I think it’s safe to say that Disney is done with Willow.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… the Willow franchise deserved better! It could’ve been great but the opportunity was wasted. You know how I know I’m right? Because Disney canceled the series and removed it from their streaming service.