'Willow' fans ask for sequel, get whole series premiering this week

PHILADELPHIA -- Fans of George Lucas' 1988 fantasy adventure "Willow" have been asking for a sequel for more than 30 years.

This week, they finally get it in the upcoming Lucasfilm series, "Willow", debuting Wednesday on Disney+.

Thirty-four years later, Warwick Davis says he feels humbled to return as the sorcerer Willow.

"Coming back to this role, a role I played over 34 years ago now, is a pretty surreal moment, actually," Davis said. "I know fans have been asking for it for years, wanting to see a sequel. And once again, Willow is called upon to save the day."

The series is set 20 years after the events of the film and follows the storyline of Willow and the baby, Elora Danan.

"We really wanted to follow that story and then shift Willow into a role of being the sort of crotchety old mentor who's got to tell her where she's going and how to do it," says Jon Kasdan, writer and executive producer.

WATCH | 'Willow' stars talk new characters, adventure in Disney+ series at show's premiere

In the 1980s, George Lucas had an idea for a fantasy-adventure film about an aspiring sorcerer. Eventually, Ron Howard would direct the project, called "Willow." Now, all these years later, "Willow" is back, this time as a series.

There's a new quest and a new cast of characters who were admittedly star-struck working with Davis.

"We were quite nervous about it. He was just constantly cracking jokes to chill everybody out," said Erin Kellyman, who plays Jade.

"He put us all at ease," said Amar Chadha-Patel, who plays Boorman.

Cast members say they wanted fans to be proud of this new adventure.

"It is such an honor to be a part of something that is so important to so many people's childhoods," said Ruby Cruz, who plays Kit.

"We also got this beautiful opportunity to craft something new," said Dempsey Bryk, who plays Airk.

"If you're a fan of the original, you get to see more of it, you get to see things explained and there's even more magic," said Tony Revolori, who plays Graydon.

The first two episodes of Willow will be released on Disney+ on Wednesday, with new episodes being released weekly.

Disney is the parent company of this ABC station.