Lucasfilm has released the first trailer for “Willow,” the Disney+ series that serves as a sequel to the 1988 fantasy film of the same name.
The company revealed the first look during its Star Wars Celebration event, with star Warwick Davis, Jonathan Kasdan and the original film’s director Ron Howard were on hand to make the big announcement, alongside Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.
“There isa balance between all things — light and shadow, good and evil,” Warwick Davis’ Willow says in the trailer, reintroducing viewers to the mystical world of the original film. “When that balance is upset, the universe corrects. … Into the unknown, that’s where we must go.”
Davis starred in the original 1988 “Willow,” alongside Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Billy Barty and Jean Marsh. The film followed Davis’ Willow, a dwarf and aspiring sorcerer, who is reluctantly drawn into a quest to protect a special infant who is prophesied to overthrow an an evil queen.
The Ron Howard-directed film was a joint production venture between Lucasfilm, MGM and Imagine Entertainment. The film grossed $137.6 million worldwide against a $35 million budget, going on to have a lucrative run on home video. The film received two Oscar nominations in the categories of best sound editing and best visual effects.
The Disney+ series “Willow” hails from Lucasfilm and represents the first non-“Star Wars” venture from the company since its acquisition by Disney.
“Crazy Rich Asians” and “In the Heights” director Jon M. Chu is helming the pilot and executive producing the series. Kasdan and Wendy Maricle serve as showrunners.
The “Willow” trailer is one of the many reveals featured during Thursday’s Star Wars Celebration event. Other major reveals include a full-length trailer for the upcoming “Andor” and “Ahsoka” series, “The Mandalorian” season 3 and news about “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” which debuts May 27 on Disney+.
Watch the full “Willow” trailer here: