According to executive producer Jonathan Kasdan, Val Kilmer will still have a part to play in Willow.
In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Kasdan made it clear that, although Kilmer wasn't able to take part in filming, his character, Madmartigan, will still be a staple of the show's story. "Val’s a huge part of this, and the first conversation I had, when Warwick [Davis] and I got the greenlight to do this, was with Val," he explained. "We wanted his character to be a part of the story. We wanted him to be in the show. Because we were shooting during [the COVID-19 lockdowns], he wasn’t able to come to Wales and shoot with us. But he is in the show in a big way. And we’re pretty excited about it. … Madmartigan lives on."
Originally released in 1988, Willow was a dark fantasy feature directed by Ron Howard and based on a story by George Lucas. The film followed Willow Ufgood (Davis), an amateur magician tasked with protecting a prophesied baby from the evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh). Joining Willow on his quest were Madmartigan (Kilmer), a down-on-his-luck swordsman, and Sorsha (Joanne Whalley), Bavmorda's daughter who eventually betrays her mother and falls in love with Madmartigan. The film was met with mixed reviews upon release, but eventually became a cult classic thanks to home video sales and television reruns.
A Willow sequel series was officially greenlit in October 2020, with Kasdan and Wendy Mericle as executive producers and showrunners and Davis reprising the title role. At Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm released the first trailer for the show and confirmed Whalley will return as Sorsha. Other main cast members include Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, Ellie Bamber, Tony Revolori, Amer Chadha-Patel and Dempsey Bryk. Stephen Wolfenden will direct the first two episodes while James Newton Howard will score the series.
In addition to Willow, Kilmer is known for his roles as Jim Morrison in The Doors, Doc Holliday in Tombstone and the Caped Crusader himself in Batman Forever. In the mid-2010's, Kilmer went through a multi-year battle with throat cancer that impaired his ability to speak and significantly limited the roles he could take. He has since been cancer free but was still in recovery at the time that the Willow series was filming.
"Val's spirit is very much with the series," Davis added. "[He and I] have been in touch since we made the movie, and we’re good friends and he’s a terrific guy. I still attribute me getting through the film to Val. He kept my spirits up when conditions were really treacherous and difficult. I was cold, wet, tired. He kept me laughing, kept the whole thing fun." He then confirmed, "Madmartigan lives on."
Willow will release on Nov. 30 on Disney+.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment
