Val Kilmer's Performance In The Original Willow Was A Guiding Light For The Sequel Series

Val Kilmer may not have appeared in the new Disney+ continuation of "Willow", but the spirit of his character, Madmartigan, is all over the delightful adventure series. The rapscallion's cheeky attitude mostly comes through in a character named Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel), a charming thief who joins Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) and the rest of his squad on an adventure early on in the season. Christian Slater is also set to appear later this season as a friend of Madmartigan, but in the meantime, series creator Jonathan Kasdan has found a way to weave the character's essence into the story as a whole.

In an interview with ScreenRant, Kasdan was asked how he stayed true to the 1988 film while still remaining accessible to audience members who may be coming to the series for the first time. His answer? A whole lot of that Madmartigan flair:

"One of the charms of 'Willow' is that it has at its center, this performance by Val Kilmer that's very contemporary and very unusual and surprising and exciting to watch. And I think we wanted to let that too, be something that we continued on in spirit, which was to have contemporary voices, voices that you weren't used to hearing in fantasy, be your guides through it [...]."

The new "Willow" certainly feels contemporary, with episodes that end on modern needle drops, dialogue that drops anachronistic (but hilarious) phrases into the fantasy setting, and characters like Slater's and Chadha-Patel's. All of this feels in sync with Kilmer's performance in the original Ron Howard film, which Chadha-Patel told /Film is "a lot of people's benchmark for the roguish, sword-swinging pain in the ass."

According to Jonathan Kasdan, Val Kilmer's performance opened up the world of "Willow" to audiences. He told ScreenRant that thanks to the contemporary voice of his character in the film, "you get this very unusual and specific experience of going to a fabulous world, but being with people you could imagine were your friends." His vision for a friendly adventure really shines through in the four episodes of the season that are streaming so far. The show is a true ensemble saga, with characters whose dynamics are as endearing and interesting as the quest at the center of the fantasy epic itself. Plus, the show is outright funny, thanks in large part to the scripts' ability to continue the original film's goofy irreverence.

Kilmer himself was originally going to be in the new series, but unfortunately, the cancer survivor reportedly wasn't able to make it to the shoot that took place in Wales during the pandemic. Kasdan has said in the past that he wanted to leave the door open to Kilmer's return, and told Vanity Fair that Madmartigan "comes back by the end of the season" in a meaningful way.

Still, even with Madmartigan's absence, "Willow" is doing its best to keep the spirit of the original film intact, a task that came naturally for a genuine fan of the film like Kasdan. "As a fan of the movie, it's not hard for me to lean into the parts of it that I love," he shared with ScreenRant, "and want to continue the story and build out the world that George [Lucas] and Ron [Howard] so beautifully designed and rendered."

"Willow" is on Disney+, with new episodes streaming on Wednesdays.