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Willow Showrunner Refutes Claim That Series Has Been Canceled
Jonathan Kasdan explained the details that led to what he says is an inaccurate report.
There might be hope for Willow after all.
Deadline reported earlier this week that the queer-inclusive Disney+ show had been canceled after just one season, but showrunner Jonathan Kasdan recently pushed back at that claim on Twitter.
In a lengthy statement, he thanked fans for sharing their “support and passion for our shabby, idiosyncratic little show” in response to the news, but said his conversations with Lucasfilm have been more complicated than a simple cancelation.
“The truth is less splashy, but here it is: A decision was made last week to release our main cast for other series opportunities that may arise for them in the coming year,” he wrote.
Normally, releasing the cast from their contracts would most likely signal a show would not be returning. But in the age of streaming, as Kasdan points out, there’s precedent for shows taking a couple years in between seasons, and “it feels unfair to limit an actor’s availability without a clear sense of when you’re going to need them again.”
He further clarified both that the show is not slated to film more episodes in the next year, and that they’ve already “developed and written what we hope is a brain-meltingly fun, richer, darker and better VOLUME II” of the series.
Lengthy gaps between seasons, writing scripts for shows that haven’t been renewed yet, and this yawning chasm of uncertainty for all the talent involved in front of and behind the camera speak to larger issues currently causing frustration within the entertainment industry. That these uncertainties are boiling over and impacting viewers as well is having a measured impact on how content is consumed, and Kasdan’s candidness about what’s actually going on sheds a fragment of light on that for the general public.
While we have no way of knowing at this point whether Willow will return for that second season at some point in the future, Kasdan encouraged fans campaigning for more to turn their enthusiasm towards recommending the show to others in the meantime.
“Perhaps the one thing Hollywood has consistently been great at, over its entire history, is servicing the appetites, no matter how obscure, of its consumers,” he wrote. “And I have total confidence that, if an appetite for more Willow persists, Disney, Lucasfilm and this amazing cast and crew will satisfy it.”
LGBTQ+ audiences might not fully agree with the first part of that statement, but for Willow fans in particular, it sounds like you can keep your hope alive for the time being.
Apparently that's still up in the air.
Willow the TV series picks up years after the 1988 film of the same name left off.
Willow is currently streaming on Disney+.
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Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
