Disney+ will launch this November 30 “Willow“, the Lucasfilm and Imagine Entertainment series that serves as a sequel to the 1988 fantasy film of the same name, which also features the return of Warwick Davis in the starring role. “It’s a dream to return to this character,” Davis told a press conference.”Making this movie was one of the best experiences of my life,” he added.
The original film, which grossed $137.6 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, and went on to have a lucrative career on video, is one of the all-time fantasy film classics. Directed by Ron Howard and produced by “Star Wars” creator George Lucasnarrated the story of Willow, an aspiring witch farmer who decides to rescue a little girl from the clutches of an evil queen. Company in which he had the support of the warrior Madmardigan (a young Val Kilmer), to cross an enchanted land, full of magical creatures and dangers, a journey in which Willow learns to trust his powers.
The plot is inspired byThe Hobbit”, by JRR Tolkien, author of “The Lord of the Rings”. And the film was recognized for being particularly innovative in its special effects: nominated for an Oscar in that category, as well as for Best Editing. Reasons why it became a cult film, with a huge host of fans who pushed Disney to revisit that universe with a young cast.
There the actress stands out Ellie Bamber (“Pride, Prejudice and Zombies”), who plays the character of Dove, and actor Tony Revolutiony (“Spider-Man: No Way Home”), who plays Graydon, who spoke exclusively with NEWS.
“I think you’re going to find a lot of the things that we remember from the original, with more contemporary touches, which are wonderful. It’s ‘Willow’ but seen with a 2022 look, without losing the magic and originality of the first film. I think it is perfect for any age, it has something for everyone”, says Revolory.
For his part, Bamber anticipates that the series will have “the same characters and the same comic touch as the original version, as well as incredible settings and landscapes.” “And it has that fun and sense of hope that ‘Willow’ brings to a young audience. I think the public will be able to see messages and themes to relate to. No matter if this is fantasy it is made in a modern way where current issues that we are talking about today are touched on”, adds the actress, who, like her partner, assures that this new version will positively impact both the faithful followers who grew up watching the film, and the new generations of fans. of magical worlds.
Warwick Davis, the actor who played Willow in 1988 at just sixteen years old, is the one who connects both plots. “He gave us advice whenever we asked for it. He supported us when we had ideas and transmitted to us all the love that he has for this story, ”says Bamber.
“Willow” was one of many epic fantasy films in the ’80s, when the genre experienced its first heyday with films like “The endless story” (1984), “Leyenda” and “La guerrera roja” (both from 1985). A second wave arrived in the early 2000s with the release of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and then in the last decade the genre had its icon in the HBO series “Game of Thrones,” which I’m going has a sequel with the premiere of “La casa del dragón”, which competed and won against “Los Anillos de Poder”, from Amazon Prime Video. Series designed for an adult audience that now also push to revisit other classics of the youth epic fantasy genre.
Such is the case of the series “Eragon” preparing Disney+. Based on the text that Christopher Paolini he wrote when he was just fourteen, and that it was the second-best-selling children’s paperback of 2005 (the four-book saga sold more than 41 million copies). In 2006 it was adapted for the big screen with Ed Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons as his father Brom, Robert Carlyle as the demon Durza, and John Malkovich as the ultimate villain, Galbatorix. A luxury cast.
The film was number one at the global box office in its opening weekend, the 16th-highest-grossing film of 2006, and the 6th-highest-grossing sword and sorcery film of all time (grossing $249 million on a $249 million budget). 100 million), but fans were disappointed and there were no sequels as planned.
Paolini, who is now 38 years old, agreed to be a co-writer of the Disney+ series that will have Bert Salke as executive producer and the support of 20th Television, which still has the rights to the books, a second chance to adapt a work held within the genre, as will also happen with the new revision of the books of percy jackson by Rick Riordan, who is already known to be played by Walker Scobell.
Percy Jackson was already made into a movie in 2010 by the director Chris Columbuswhich sought to repeat the success of Harry Potter with another youth fantasy saga inspired, this time, by the gods of Olympus. But “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief” was not well received by critics, and was moderately successful at the box office. The sequel “Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters in 2013”, showed the waning loss of interest: it raised 226 million dollars worldwide after an investment of 95 million.
According to Riordan, one of the things that had failed in the adaptation of Columbus (a “disaster” in his words) was the excess of creative freedom with respect to the original material. something that now Disney seeks to correct with Riordan involved as executive director on the multi-season series project.
by RN
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