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Willow the tv series?

Discussion in 'Lucasfilm Ltd. In-Depth Discussion' started by BobaFrank, Jan 3, 2008.

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  1. BobaFrank

    BobaFrank Jedi Youngling star 5

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    Jul 17, 2001
    "In April 2005, during the Star Wars "Celebration III" fan convention, George Lucas hinted in an interview[1] that given his company (Lucasfilm) was moving into television production again, there could be a Willow television series."



    Have to take in mind I found this on Wikipedia, but I have not heard about this before. Could be cool if it did happen.



     
  2. Gobi-1

    Gobi-1 Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Dec 22, 2002
    I haven't heard about this either.
     
  3. BobaFrank

    BobaFrank Jedi Youngling star 5

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    Jul 17, 2001
    I wonder if someone misquoted him? Probably. Still, I would definitely be interested in seeing how it would do.
     
  4. Vortigern99

    Vortigern99 Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Nov 12, 2000
    Possibly in the madness of that time -- a month before ROTS came out -- this story was lost in the shuffle? Still, I can't imagine that tf.n would have let news like this slide by without reporting it, and I don't remember ever seeing it.
     
  5. Darthsuggs

    Darthsuggs Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jul 28, 2003
    I would be up for that. It could be alot of fun. I love Willow.
     
  6. jp-30

    jp-30 Manager Emeritus star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Dec 14, 2000
    Probably bad punctuation. ie;

    "In April 2005, during the Star Wars "Celebration III" fan convention, George Lucas hinted in an interview[1] that given his company (Lucasfilm) was moving into television production again".

    Speculation due to above statement: There could be a Willow television series.

     
  7. Chancellor_Ewok

    Chancellor_Ewok Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2004
    Fun fact: Lucas made Willow after failing to secure the film rights to The Hobbit. [face_whistling]
     
  8. JohnWesleyDowney

    JohnWesleyDowney Jedi Master star 5

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    Jan 27, 2004
    That makes sense, because he made Star Wars after failing to secure the rights to Flash Gordon. :cool:

    And even filmed Willow in, of all places, New Zealand!
     
  9. GreenLantern_Jedi

    GreenLantern_Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    May 31, 2007
    >Fun fact: Lucas made Willow after failing to secure the film rights to The Hobbit.<

    NOPE. 100% untrue.
    I've read everything available on Willow & that's not at all how it happened.

    Ron Howard pitched a fantasy movie idea to GL to produce.
    GL didn't feel the story was right for him, but saw it as an opportunity to do "Willow", which he'd been working on for a long time. They developed the story together with screenwriter Bob Dolman. Good source of info here:

    www.lepconnie.com/willow/

    I have a pretty extensive collection of Willow errata, and unlike the story of GL seeking rights to Flash Gordon, there is never one mention of the Hobbit.

    And GL was filming 'Willow' in NZ before PJ was even making movies!

    Sorry.
     
  10. jp-30

    jp-30 Manager Emeritus star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Dec 14, 2000
    Bad Taste came out in 1987 (Willow in 1988), and Jackson took 4 years to film it (mostly on weekends in his spare time).

    Sorry.

     
  11. GreenLantern_Jedi

    GreenLantern_Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    May 31, 2007
    Oooh!
    Willow has nothing to do with Peter Jackson or the new Hobbit production.
     
  12. Vortigern99

    Vortigern99 Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Nov 12, 2000
    You know, it's interesting. Greenlantern_Jedi may be correct that in that article there's no mention of Lucas' intending to pursue a Tolkien project. But I specifically recall being aware of this idea since the 80s -- either through hearing it in an interview with Lucas, or reading in some genre rag like Starlog or Cinefantastique.

    The story goes: In the period leading up to ROTJ, Lucas looked into acquiring the rights to LOTR (not the Hobbit, as I recall), but was unable to secure them from the Zaentz people. So he dreamed up Willow, which is rather like a funny-looking stepchild of STAR WARS and LOTR, and a few years later, he and Howard hooked up and made the film.

    Maybe this is an urban legend and I'll wind up looking the fool, but I definitely have this cultural mime about Willow and LOTR in my head.
     
  13. BobaFrank

    BobaFrank Jedi Youngling star 5

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    Jul 17, 2001
    I think it's a plausible theory. We probably will never find out the whole truth about it though.

    There was the HOBBITT animated movie during that time. The closest thing to any good fantasy before WILLOW or LOTR was KRULL and DRAGONSLAYER(which ILM won and Oscar for VFX). As far as a tv series on Willow ever being a possibility I'm not sure. Xena and Hercules were respectable series in their own right but fantasy movie series like those tend not to do well in mainstream tv IMO.
     
  14. GreenLantern_Jedi

    GreenLantern_Jedi Jedi Youngling star 1

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    May 31, 2007
    Not one article - many many articles.
    Read 'em, they're online!

    It's an urban legend.
    Let it die...

    Oh, and it's "meme".
    Although the character of "Mim" in Wagner's operas is pronounced "meme".
     
  15. Vortigern99

    Vortigern99 Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Nov 12, 2000
    Au contraire:

    1977 - The Hobbit (animated). WIZARDS (animated). Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.
    1979 - LOTR (animated).
    1981 - Excalibur. Clash of the Titans.
    1982 - Conan the Barbarian. Dragonslayer. The Dark Crystal. The Sword and the Sorcerer. Beastmaster. Hercules (with Lou Ferrigno).
    1983 - Krull (which kinda sucks).
    1985 - Labyrinth. Conan the Destroyer (which really sucks).
    1986 - Legend. Red Sonja (which sucks, but at least it's better than Conan the D).
    1988 - Willow.

    Even if you don't like a few of those listed, your inclusion of Krull as a "good fantasy movie" pretty much opens the door to include Red Sonja and Hercules as well!
     
  16. BobaFrank

    BobaFrank Jedi Youngling star 5

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    Jul 17, 2001
    :oops: I totally forgot those others like Conan, Legend, and Clash of the Titans. KRULL is very underrated.
     
  17. Vortigern99

    Vortigern99 Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Nov 12, 2000
    I like Krull and all; I saw it in the theater in '83, and I've seen it many times on cable and video since. It does have its moments, and a spirit of fun that's hard to beat. The Glaive is one of the coolest weapons ever depicted on-screen, and the characters are memorable in a kid-friendly kind of way. The villain is a slimy, bizarro 'what-the-heck-is-it' -- always a good thing in a fantasy film IMO.

    However, the film lacks teeth, and it lacks cinematic aplomb; the action sequences are disjointed and undercooked. The entire enterprise seems limited, not by imagination or the willingness to entertain, both of which it has in spades, but by budgetary constraints that keep it from ever soaring above a rather rote and contrived storyline.

    So... underrated? Yes, a bit, but perhaps deservedly so. Willow, to bring this discussion back to the thread's topic, is a better movie -- better-made, better-acted, and with surprising plot turns that keep you guessing about how it's all going to end. Krull is predictable from start to finish, even if it does manage to entertain and amuse.
     
  18. morpha2

    morpha2 Jedi Master star 3

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    Aug 12, 2005
    If we're talking animated films, I'd add The Black Cauldron (1985) to that list.
     
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