Posted in: Disney+, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: disney, lucasfilm, preview, willow

Willow: Trans Actress Talisa Garcia Joins Disney+ & Lucasfilm Series

With Disney+ and Lucasfilm's fantasy sequel series to the 1988 film Willow reportedly in post-production, Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Talisa Garcia (Baptiste) is joining the series that finds Warwick Davis returning to the role of Willow Ufgood. The casting move is a first for "The Mouse," with Garcia being the first known occasion when an openly trans actor has been cast in a production from Lucasfilm. In addition, Garcia's casting also marks the first known time that a trans actor has been tapped to portray a cis character in a Disney+ film or series. Set to focus on the group's mission to save a prince, the series also features Ellie Bamber's (Nocturnal Animals) Dove, an unassuming kitchen maid who proves that she is the "chosen one" as she embarks on the journey. Ruby Cruz's (Castle Rock) Kit is the princess whose twin brother was abducted, destined to be a leader and ultimately the queen. Erin Kellyman's (Solo) Jade is a servant who is also Kit's best friend and moral compass- and on her way to becoming the best young warrior in the kingdom. Amer Chadha-Patel (Doom: Annihilation) plays Boorman, a thief & liar who joins the quest in exchange for getting out of prison. Tony Revolori ("Spider-Man" films) and Dempsey Bryk (The Birch, Heartland) also have lead roles in the series.

So with the series set to hit the streamer sometime this year, here's a look at the video featuring the cast of Disney+ & Lucasfilm's Willow that was released last year (though it seems like David might have to remind his castmates that there was actually a movie that it's based on- one released before they were born, apparently):

Original film writer Bob Dolman serves as a consulting producer, with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Michelle Rejwan executive producing. Howard's Imagine Television will produce, with Roopesh Parekh and Hannah Friedman serving as co-executive producers on behalf of the company; Julia Cooperman will produce. While far from a box office failure, the Davis-Val Kilmer (Heat) starrer would earn only $110M on a $35M budget. At a time when budgets for films were nowhere close to where they are today, a $35M investment was expected to yield deeper profits than Willow earned. There's still no word on if the new series will utilize George Lucas and Uncanny X-Men writer Chris Claremont's trilogy of novels as source material for the pilot: 1995's Shadow Moon, 1996's Shadow Dawn, and 1999's Shadow Star. Series producing director Stephen Woolfenden (Outlander) directed the first two episodes.

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