The explosion of '80s-inspired series doesn't end with
Stranger Things
, and the torrent of platform content continues to search for
the perfect new gadget to bring different generations together
under the warm blanket of nostalgia.
The new contender is
Willow
, a fantasy series based on the
Ron Howard
film that was conceived under the baton of
Star Wars
and
Indiana Jones
creator
George Lucas
, who was looking to make his own alternate version of
The Lord of the Rings. rings
, captivating the children of 1988. However, not everyone could see it at the time of its release, since it turned out to be a small box office disappointment, despite
earning 137 million dollars with a budget of 35
, which was considered below the expectations of a production company accustomed to gargantuan successes.
The series is the first live action title that moves away from the production scheme of the platform that has
Marvel
and
Star Wars
as flagships, building on a classic designed for the big screen that has been gaining followers and cult throughout decades, so it is a property capable of providing hours of content under a brand that sounds.
It is evident that the lubricant that makes these gears work is childhood memory
, but the idea that there is a public that demands all these
revivals
is beginning to remit and the strategy on the part of the great streamers against the depletion of the source is not very clear of successes of other decades.
Willow
is still a garnish resulting from the agreement that
Disney
reached with
Lucasfilm
on October 30, 2012.
A purchase valued at 4,050 million
that marked the beginning of the resurrection of the Star Wars franchise, the true sirloin of the deal, at least until that they decide on some formula to continue the franchise of
Indiana Jones
without the presence of
Harrison Ford
.
His new bet appears with echoes of statements by director
Ron Howard
, who assured in 2016 that continuing his epic adventure in the form of a series was always his dream, something that
Jonathan Kasdan clarifies.
.
The scriptwriter and executive producer of the series details in an interview with Slashfilm that both the director and
George Lucas
had never been very convinced of the version for the small screen, despite the fact that there was a collection of novels, highly regarded among fans. , which narrated what happened after the reign of terror of the witch Bavmorda.
But Howard's attitude changed when they filmed together
Han Solo
, a
spin-off
co-written by Kasdan, which already featured actor
Warwick Davis
in a small role, and gave some hope to rumors of a revival between the director and the actor. making fans dream of their return to the shadowlands.
Davis was always linked to
Star Wars
: He was a leading Ewok in the original trilogy of the galactic saga, with which, by the way,
Willow
has many points in common, beyond sharing the same producer.
Yes, the journey of the Nelwyn was much like Frodo's journey to Mordor, but there was also an apprenticeship in the use of "the force" in the form of traditional magic, an ancient teacher cut off from the world, a princess who happened to be the daughter of the villainess and even a lookalike to Harrison Ford's rogue mercenary hero with the face of Val Kilmer.
For this reason , it is
not surprising that the new series has taken the path of the "requel"
, that is to say, a
reboot
disguised as a canonical sequel,
an ambivalent recipe to give new luster to the classics
, without completely reinventing its legacy, which more or less is pulled out of the sleeve JJ Abrams with
Star Wars Episode VII
: The awakening of the force.
A formula that invites children in their forties to rescue their aging idols while offering a facelift to the same universe to engage a new generation of viewers.
It is the same path followed by big studio bets such as
Ghostbusters: Beyond
,
Creed
,
Halloween night
or
Scream
, and that in the case of
Willow
swings between the aesthetic keys of the 80s film and the new platform productions directed to the
young adult
public
.
There are design references, returning actors or some similar monster, but
the packaging of the series is more modern, with neutral lighting
, almost opposite to the dark tale photography of the original, which seeks to resemble other recent fantasy series for the public. youth.
Its setting in an indeterminate world, in which monsters and forest fairies are possible, reveals the intentions of
Disney+
, which needs an ace up its sleeve with a sword and sorcery character to enter to compete in the war between
The Rings of power
and
The House of the Dragon
.
The difference with these is that it has a Gen Z
vocation patent
, evidenced in its cast of new adolescent characters that camouflage
Willow
among other series aimed at the same audience such as
The Wheel of Time
,
Cursed
or
Shadow and Bone
, with which it also plays with many structural elements of all of them: the
casting
is specially selected to cover folders with their photos, the colorful wardrobe is very clean and we have inevitable love soap operas ready for interaction on all the social networks that resistant
users still don't know about.
Of course,
there is racial diversity in the cast, as well as LGTBI+ representation
, and among all the protagonists we have a whole range that tries to compensate for the Caucasian and heteronormative uniformity of the original, which, however, was one of the few big-budget films that relied on a person of short stature the leading role.
And an adult Davis is the main link with the Ron Howard film, although instead of
Hobbit
, now plays the role of little Gandalf, leading the new community on an adventure rich in landscapes and open locations, but without too many handles for the mature viewer attracted by memory.
Joanne Whalley's character gains weight, and now Sorsha is a queen who tries to rule by driving away the ghosts of her evil mother, although
she misses Madmartigan
, the quarrelsome disgraced knight who gave
Val Kilmer
the opportunity to fill with charisma the screen.
The legendary actor, who has had an exciting comeback in 2022 thanks to
Top Gun: Maverick
, wanted to participate in the series in some way, but production problems due to the Covid-19 pandemic and his complications from throat cancer made very difficult his presence as the anti-hero Daikini.
Despite the vacuum created by Kilmer,
Willow
has all the necessary ingredients to make the brand profitable, but, at the same time, it
exposes a paradoxical mechanics that affects all "requel" operations with cultural milestones from the 80s.
.
On the one hand, stamps are recovered that only those who are parents already remember, but on the other hand, it is addressed to a generation that tries by all means to rebel against their own.
There are very clever cases of successful sequels in shows like
Cobra Kai
, whose hero is the villain of The
Karate Kid
and deals, with a lot of self-conscious humor, about how a boomer adapts to a new cultural paradigm.
Now, in this case, it is possible to imagine that some of the fans of the Ron Howard film are today outraged by the youthful
casting
after tweeting about political correctness, while its potential audience of 13-18 years raises their eyebrows at the versions of
Metallica
in the credits, aimed at a generation not so distant from their parents.
In any case, with a new cast with some charisma and the presence of none other than
James Newton
Howard
on the music, the idea of putting
Willow
Leading a group of kids with different abilities, he alternates the current and the classic with a certain balance.
In addition, the tall children who went to the movies in 1988, may find themselves by carambola with a kind of apocryphal live action adaptation of another of their longed for nostalgic resurrections, the cartoon series Dungeons and Dragons, in which a group also Assorted waiters were led through a fantasy land by a very small wizard.
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