Val Kilmer was originally supposed to return for Willow series

Today marks the premiere of Willow, a new Disney+ series that follows up on the 1988 fantasy film of the same name. Warwick Davis returns as Willow Ufgood, a sorcerer who leads a band of adventures to rescue the twin brother of a princess. However, one key member of the original movie’s cast wasn’t able to return, despite everyone’s best efforts: Val Kilmer, who played the lovable rogue Madmartigan.

“We really wanted Val to come be in the show,” showrunner Jonathan Kasdan told Entertainment Weekly. “And Val really wanted to come out and be in the show. I remember going to see Val right after this thing started to get some momentum, and I said, ‘Listen, we’re doing this. And the whole world wants Madmartigan back.’ And he was like, ‘Not as much as I do.'”

"He embraced me when I left. He picked me up, and he said, ‘See? I’m still super strong.’ And I was like, ‘Great.’"

Unfortunately, Kilmer has had some health scares in recent years, namely surviving a brush with throat cancer. He was able to reprise his role as Iceman in this year’s Top Gun: Maverick, but only for a short scene, and he typed most of his dialog.

Val Kilmer could still return as Madmartigan in future seasons of Willow

Still, he was game to come back for Willow, and Kasdan and company planned the series thinking he would be a part of it.

But then COVID hit, productions had to change the way they did things, and according to Kasdan, “Val reluctantly didn’t feel he could come out.” Kasdan got this news pretty late in the planning process, which meant he and his team had to retool the show. “We had to figure out a way to preserve the story we wanted to tell with him about how his story was playing out.”

The solution they came up with was to work Madmartigan’s children and legacy into the plot, even if we didn’t see the man himself. Although that could change in future seasons. “We wanted to leave open the door to any possibility in the future and also honor the spirit of him,” Kasdan said. “We’ve tried to do that and work with him in a way so that he is felt and heard, if not seen.”

The first two episodes of Willow are streaming now on Disney+.

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