While it would be easy – all too easy – to focus on the negative aspects that have sadly seen Willow marked a failure, there are plenty of positives to take away from the series production. One is the huge lift the series gave to the Welsh filmmaking community, a process which saw significant financial boost to the Welsh economy.
The production was based at Dragon Studios in South Wales and filmed at 32 locations across the country. They included Morlais Quarry, where the opening scenes were set, and Merthyr Mawr, which was the backdrop for Willow’s home.
Lucasfilm built five sets at Dragon Studios totalling 28,000 square feet as well as 20 additional buildings for the purposes of creature creation, puppeteering work, special effects and costumes. It made its mark on the local film industry.
Lucasfilm hired 25 trainees for six months as well as 206 Welsh citizens who were members of the crew. As a result, 17 of the 29 production departments were led by Welsh citizens whilst non-Welsh crew were also paired with Welsh citizens.
In December, Creative Wales, the government agency that promotes the development of creative industries in Wales, reported that brands such as Lucasfilm, NetflixNFLX -1.4% and Bad Wolf have pumped more than $197.5 million (£155.6 million) of production spend into the Welsh economy.
It’s worth remembering in that while the show wasn’t renewed for a second season, writer Jonathan Kasdan pointed out that the second season has been written, so while the show was part of Disney’s $1.5bn content purge and impairment charge, there could be a future for the show somewhere down the line.
- Hardcover Book
- Johnston, E.K. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 368 Pages - 10/10/2023 (Publication Date) - Random House/Star Wars (Publisher)
