Director Jonathan Entwistle Reportedly Exits Lucasfilm’s “Willow” Series, Stephen Woolfenden Steps In

Jonathan Entwistle is reportedly the second director to exit Lucasfilm’s Willow series planned for Disney+, according to Deadline.

  • Lucasfilm’s fantasy series Willow, based on the 1988 film of the same name, has changed its pilot director for the second time.
  • Entwistle signed on to direct the series back in January after Jon M. Chu stepped down due to scheduling conflicts.
  • At the time, Entwistle had referred to the directing job as a “dream come true.”
  • According to Deadline, he actually left the project all the way back in April and Stephen Woolfenden, a producing director on the series, stepped in to shoot the first two episodes.
  • Entwistle’s departure from the series comes as a result of a production delay cause by a recasting, which then pushed the schedule to conflict with production of the director’s Apple TV+ series Hello Tomorrow.
  • The first two episodes for Willow have now reportedly been completed.
  • The new series will see the return of Warwick Davis to the titular role of Willow Ufgood, with the addition of newer cast members like Erin Kellyman Ellie Bamber.
  • Jonathan Kasdan wrote the pilot for Willow and serves as co-showrunner alongside Wendy Mericle, Ron Howard and Bob Dolman.
  • The Willow series was announced at the Walt Disney Company Investors Day.
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