Flash forward to 2017 when Howard was brought on to direct Solo: A Star Wars Story, five years after Lucasfilm was acquired by the Walt Disney Company and during the latter stages of preparations for the launch of the Disney+ streaming service in 2019. Fueled by his close working relationship with (Kathleen) Kennedy, now at the helm of Lucasfilm, and Jon Kasdan, the future Willow series creator who was then co-writing the Star Wars standalone film’s script, the idea of a continuation of Willow’s story gained traction. “Jon was of that generation that just really dug the movie [Willow] and played it over and over again, wore out the VHS and moved on to the DVD,” Howard says. “And slowly but surely, in and around the lighting setups of Solo, I began to see that he had a real point of view about how to update it and how to advance it, not just in terms of dealing with the next generation of characters and what to do about Elora Danan and where she’s been and all of that. But also, how to expand on the evil, expand on the threat, and what the dark magic could mean.”
Howard was impressed by Kasdan’s passion and knowledge. Most importantly, the writer understood that the core of the Willow universe, like other Lucasfilm projects, required levity and humor mixed in with relatable characters and high-stakes adventure. “He’s funny, and humor always was so central to the charm of the movie,” Howard says. “It was always a character comedy in our minds and George’s, as well. And I thought with a series you could have more relationships and Jon could find ways to make the fantasy feel present and real, so it’s not tongue-in-cheek, but lets those characters feel relatable and humorous and entertaining in a contemporary way.”
As for a potential second season, nothing’s been confirmed, but Howard says Kasdan has a plan for more chapters. “I know where it could go, and it’s great,” Howard says laughing. “I won’t say any more than that, but Jon didn’t want to embark without knowing the destination. He thinks of it as a finite epic tale and this is an early portion of that. It’s been great to work on. And you know, I’d love to see us do more. We’re all standing by. We’ll see!”
