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Val Kilmer, who played the relation of Madmartigan successful the 1988 movie Willow, came adjacent to appearing successful the caller Disney+ bid based connected the film. Find retired what happened.
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Madmartigan's instrumentality was person than we thought.
The new Disney+ series Willow, premiering Nov. 30 connected the streamer, is based connected the 1988 phantasy escapade movie of the aforesaid name. In the film, Val Kilmer played the relation of hunky swordsman Madmartigan who helped the titular Willow (Warwick Davis) connected his epic journey.
According to Willow showrunner Jake Kasdan, things astir came unneurotic for Kilmer to reprise his relation successful the series.
"We truly wanted Val to travel beryllium successful the show," Kasdan told Entertainment Weekly Nov. 29. "And Val truly wanted to travel retired and beryllium successful the show. I retrieve going to spot Val close aft this happening started to get immoderate momentum, and I said, 'Listen, we're doing this. And the full satellite wants Madmartigan back.' And helium was like, 'Not arsenic overmuch arsenic I do.'"
Kilmer, who was diagnosed with pharynx crab successful 2015, has continued to enactment passim his wellness struggle, including an affectional reprisal of his relation of Iceman successful 2022's Top Gun: Maverick.
So, what happened?
"As COVID overtook the world, it became insurmountable," Kasdan explained. "We were prepping successful the outpouring of the twelvemonth that it was astir happening. And Val reluctantly didn't consciousness helium could travel out. We had to fig retired a mode to sphere the communicative we wanted to archer with him astir however his communicative was playing out."
However, Kilmer, 62, could still appear should Willow beryllium granted a 2nd season.
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"We wanted to permission unfastened the doorway to immoderate anticipation successful the aboriginal and besides grant the tone of him," Kasdan said. "We've tried to bash that and enactment with him successful a mode truthful that helium is felt and heard, if not seen."
The archetypal play of Willow, which does diagnostic Davis reprising his role, premieres Nov. 30 connected Disney+.
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