But
Yet one of the film's leads is notably missing. Val Kilmer's Madmartigan did not appear in Season 1, though his absence was well noted. Due to health risks, Val Kilmer didn't return for the series.
So much so that Madmartigan still remains an important presence in Kasdan's new Willow series on Disney+, his name, legacy, and children a key element of the plot. But the idea wasn't always for the character to remain off screen. "We really wanted Val to come be in the show," Kasdan tells EW.
As a punishment, Madmartigan was put in the crow's cage at the Daikini crossroads where he was left to die of thirst. He was freed by Willow Ufgood; who was seeking someone to watch over Daikini baby, Elora Danan.
Although there was originally a plan for the actor make some kind of cameo appearance in the series, Covid protocols meant it was not safe for Kilmer to travel for filming.
Due to Val Kilmer's health conditions, he was not able to return as Madmartigan in the Disney+ Willow series, so son Jack Kilmer filled in. MGM/UA Distribution Co. The film Willow is pretty special to the Kilmer family as it was the film where Val Kilmer and wife Joanne Whalley first met in 1988.
However, one key member of the original movie's cast wasn't able to return, despite everyone's best efforts: Val Kilmer, who played the lovable rogue Madmartigan. “We really wanted Val to come be in the show,” showrunner Jonathan Kasdan told Entertainment Weekly. “And Val really wanted to come out and be in the show.
The fantasy series is a sequel to the 1988 film of the same name, and like the film, it centers on Elora Danan (Ellie Bamber). But unlike the film, the show features Elora as a young adult. Now able to do more, Elora has taken center stage in the fight against evil.
Bad news for fans of the Willow series that finally debuted on Disney+ late last year after years in development.
As a result of rounds of chemotherapy and two tracheotomies — a procedure that allows one to breathe without nose or mouth — Kilmer lost the ability to speak clearly. In 2021, through the use of AI technology, his voice was able to be recreated with archival audio.
At the end of the film, Willow's best friend Meegosh is alive and well. But as the series kicks off, not only is there no mention of Meegosh, but Willow's closest, most important companion is a new character, Silas, played by Graham Hughes.
For a generation, that was Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) in Willow, daughter and sword of the evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh), until a brush with love and Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) leads her to fight with the good guys. Now, Sorsha is back — and she's queen. In the new Willow series, which is coming to Disney+ on Nov.
It's an exchange made even more impactful given the casting choice of Annabelle Davis, Warwick Davis' real-life daughter, as Mims to his Willow Ufgood. In one heartbreaking exchange, we learn that Willow's wife is dead and his son ran away, leaving only father and daughter.
In the new Amazon Prime documentary Val, Kilmer explains why he turned down the chance to return in Batman & Robin. It turns out the actor felt so restricted by the costume that he experienced a sort of on-set alienation from the rest of the cast.
"Sticks" was a nickname that Madmartigan gave to the baby Elora Danan.
There they met Allagash, who told Kit that Boorman had betrayed both of them and that Madmartigan went missing after entering a secret vault located in the prison mines. He convinced Kit to free him and both of them, along with Willow, escaped captivity and made their way to Wiggleheim's tomb.
The showrunner also hinted that Volume II could still happen in the distant future, promising it to be “richer, darker and better” than was originally planned. Posting to Twitter this morning, Kasdan revealed the main reason behind the cancellation of Willow was to allow the actors to pursue other projects.
Other than that shocking post-credits scene between Graydon and the Wyrm — which serves as a major cliffhanger suggesting there's still more evil to defeat — the future of Willow is uncertain.
Willow clearly didn't attract the audience Disney was hoping for. Its typical fate would be a cancelation, and though fans would be sad, Disney would be somewhat justified in setting aside a project that didn't land.
We learn Madmartigan left on a quest and never returned home. Though they had to move on, his family has had no closure. Kit and Airk, very clearly the progeny of the rogue-ish figure, comment on their missing father.
Warwick Davis, the original actor of Willow Ufgood in the 1988 film, returned to the role for the show. Kasdan explained that Val Kilmer, the actor for Madmartigan, was unable to return to his respective role, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as problems with his voice due to throat cancer.
How did Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley meet? The former couple reportedly met in 1988 when filming the movie Willow, where she starred as Sorsha. They immediately started dating, and in March of the same year, they exchanged marriage vows.
Behind the scenes
In the 1988 movie Willow, the mother of Elora Danan was played by Sallyanne Law. In the movie credits, she was only listed as "Mother," and neither the film itself or the novelization gave her a proper name.
Related: 'Willow' Episode 6 Recap: “Prisoners of Skellin”
Airk ventures inside to investigate, and finds the woman (identified as Lili in the credits, played by Rosabell Laurenti Sellers) within a cell like the one he woke up in.
Danan in the film was initially played by infant twins Kate and Ruth Greenfield. Although credited for the role, they grew too large for the props that held them on Warwick Davis' back, so Rebecca Bearman, niece of second assistant director Gerry Toomey, was used throughout most of the film.