Watch this:

Though Ron Howard won’t be in the director’s chair this time, he is attached as a producer for the series. Lucasfilm has also brought back Solo: A Star Wars Story’s Jonathan Kasdan, who seems to already have some experience working with Howard.

Who knows, maybe if this Willow series manages to make enough buzz, we’ll eventually get that Solo sequel that a lot of fans have been clamouring for. #MakeSolo2Happen, am I right?

Personally, I thought Willow was an alright fantasy movie. Hopefully this series will try it’s best to flesh out the world better.  I wouldn’t want it to be just nostalgia-pandering for fans who already like the property. Hopefully it would be a nice introduction for non-Willow audiences as well.

Here’s the official series description:

The story began when an aspiring sorcerer, played by Warwick Davis, is whisked away on a journey to protect an infant empress Elora Danan and vanquish the evil Queen Bavmorda from their world of Andowyne. Now, the story continues with Davis reprising his titular role, as he leads an unlikely crew of heroes on a quest to protect Andowyne from an even larger foe than they had imagined possible.

Willow premieres on Disney+ on Nov. 30.

As per an official post, Lucasfilm is official teaming up with Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro) for an upcoming project. Here’s the announcement:

pic.twitter.com/RZ74q04w7J

— スタジオジブリ STUDIO GHIBLI (@JP_GHIBLI) November 10, 2022

No details were released alongside the announcement, but everyone is already guessing that Ghibli could be working on a Star Wars project. SW has very core themes of embracing nature (or The Force) over technology, which is pretty much in line with other Ghibli works.

Then again, Lucasfilm does own other franchises that have a ton of potential for exploration. With the Willow series premiering this month, I think that world could be something that Ghibli would feel very comfortable in. Since it’s not that fleshed out as well, there’s a lot of room to explore and expand on Ghibli’s part.

Personally, I am hoping for a theatrically released animated film. I think Ghibli is a big enough studio to boost enough interest; combined with an IP like Star Wars, and we could have the same level of hype that a Pixar of Walt Disney Animation film could generate. With Star Wars being gone from the cinemas for so long, I would love them to try something more experimental outside of the safety of the Disney+ umbrella.

No release date has been announced for the Ghibli/Lucasfilm project.

Variety reports that Disney is currently looking for a writer to develop a series based in the world of Indiana Jones. It’s not clear if the series would tie in to the film, but we shouldn’t expect Harrison Ford to reprise Indy for the show. He’s already said the upcoming fifth film would be his last time playing the character, and at his age, I don’t really expect him to commit to a series.

Then again, he has signed up to take over as Thunderbolt Ross for the MCU, so maybe he does have a bit of drive to join a franchise.

I personally can’t think of a spinoff series that could work, considering that Indiana Jones essentially operates in the ‘real world’ with occasional magical things happening. What really ties the franchise together is the character of Indiana Jones. I guess they can make some kind of origin prequel with a younger actor, or they could spinoff whoever Phoebe Waller-Bridge is playing in the upcoming film—then again, I expect her to lead the franchise moving forward with theatrically released films. Then again, I’m just speculating.

The next Indiana Jones film is yet to receive a title, but the movie is expected to come out June 30, 2023.

Watch this:

It’s actually interesting that they were able to bring back as much of the original cast members as they could. They even got Kevin Pollak to reprise his role as a Brownie (a lesser faery) from the first film.

While Willow never really got the same level of spectacle that Star Wars did, the film still had a lot of heart, and the original movie was considered a cult classic. With Lucasfilm having access to a whole new branch of VFX toys though, you can definitely feel the upscaled visuals for Willow, and it’s going to be interesting to see where the story goes with this new group of heroes.

The fantasy genre is currently dominating with House of the Dragon and LOTR: The Rings of Power in the middle of their first seasons. I guess it was pretty wise of Willow to wait out their premiere and just come out around November. I mean, who are they going to compete with at that time? The Black Panther sequel?

Here’s the official description of the series:

An unlikely group of heroes sets off on a dangerous quest to places far beyond their home, where they must face their inner demons and come together to save their world.

Willow starts streaming on Disney+ this Nov. 30.

Watch the trailer for Willow down here: 

The description reads:

An unlikely group of heroes set off on a dangerous quest to places far beyond their home, where they must face their inner demons and come together to save their world.

Solo fans will immediately notice Erin Kellyman who had played the part of pre-Rebellion warrior Enfys Nest. She has also worked on the Marvel side of things, playing the leader of the Flag Smashers in Disney+ series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

Besides Kellyman, the cast also includes actors like Tony Revolori, Amar Chadha-Patel, and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers. Let’s also not forget the character of Warwick Davis who is coming back as the lead Willow Ufgood.

Admittedly, Willow doesn’t have the same cult status as Star Wars, but I’m eager to watch Lucasfilm take on some other IP moving forward, especially with the resources they have now. The movie is kind of klunky for someone who didn’t grow up with it, but there’s a lot to love about the fantasy world, and we can see that a lot of elements are being brought back for this series.

Hopefully it will be a great entry point for audiences who haven’t even watched the original Willow.

Willow the series premieres on Disney+ on Nov. 30.

As confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, upcoming SW titles like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and the third season of The Mandalorian are expected to hit Disney+ sometime in 2022. We don’t have release dates yet, but at least we know we won’t have to wait so long inbetween Star Wars titles when 2022 comes around.

Besides the three series that have been announced, Lucasfilm is also said to be releasing a sequel series for Ron Howard’s Willow. The studio is also working toward the release of James Mangold’s Indiana Jones 5 with Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge—also set to come out on the big screen in 2022.

While I was personally fine with the yearly release of a new Star Wars film, the Disney+ model has allowed for Lucasfilm to release more experimental projects with minimal risk. I’m just kind of bummed that we won’t be seeing Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen’s SW return on the big screen; because I’m a fan who believes Star Wars is all about spectacle.

No release date has been announced for Kenobi, Andor, or The Mandalorian 3, but the next series, The Book of Boba Fett, is expected to hit Disney+ later this holiday season.