By James Hibbs

Published: Wednesday, 30 November 2022 at 12:00 am


Fans of the 1988 cult-favourite fantasy film Willow may have thought they would never see the day, but now it is finally here – the movie has been given a sequel, a Disney Plus series of the same name which has now debuted on the streaming service.

The series has been developed by Jonathan Kasdan, with the film’s director Ron Howard returning as an executive producer. It once again stars Warwick Davis as the Nelwyn sorcerer, and follows on from plot threads established in the original film.

A new cast of characters is led by Ellie Bamber, Ruby Cruz and Erin Kellyman, and with episodes 1 and 2 already out now, fans who have already watched them will have discovered a shocking twist at the end of the first episode.

But how many episodes will the series have in total, and when will episode 3 be released? Read on for everything you need to know about Willow and its release schedule on Disney Plus.

Willow episode 3 release date on Disney Plus

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Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood in Willow.
Lucasfilm/Disney Plus

Willow episodes 1 and 2 are now available to watch on Disney Plus, having both dropped on 30th November 2022.

From now on new episodes will be dropping weekly on Wednesdays, meaning that episode 3 will arrive on the platform on Wednesday 7th December 2022 at 8am GMT.

The first season of the show will be made up of eight episodes, with the finale currently scheduled to drop on 11th January 2023.

Willow episode release schedule

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Joanne Whalley as Sorsha in Willow.
Lucasfilm

Willow will release a new episode from its eight-part first season each Wednesday, until the finale drops on 11th January 2023.

You can find the full release schedule for the series here:

  1. Willow episode 1: The Gales – Wednesday 30th November 2022 at 8am GMT (out now)
  2. Willow episode 2: The High Aldwin – Wednesday 30th November 2022 at 8am GMT (out now)
  3. Willow episode 3: TBC – Wednesday 7th December 2022 at 8am GMT
  4. Willow episode 4: TBC – Wednesday 14th December 2022 at 8am GMT
  5. Willow episode 5: TBC – Wednesday 21st December 2022 at 8am GMT
  6. Willow episode 6: TBC – Wednesday 28th December 2022 at 8am GMT
  7. Willow episode 7: TBC – Wednesday 4th January 2023 at 8am GMT
  8. Willow episode 8: TBC – Wednesday 11th January 2023 at 8am GMT

What is Willow about?

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Tony Revolori as Graydon in Willow.
Lucasfilm

Willow follows on directly from the 1988 film of the same name, and once again follows Warwick Davis’ Nelwyn sorcerer.

In the original film, Willow was whisked away on a journey to protect an infant empress, Elora Danan, and vanquish the evil Queen Bavmorda from their world of Andowyne.

In the new series, the story finds Willow leading an unlikely crew of heroes on a quest to protect Andowyne from an even greater foe than they could have imagined.

Willow cast – who stars alongside Warwick Davis?

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Ruby Cruz as Kit, Erin Kellyman as Jade, Amar Chadha-Patel as Boorman and Tony Revolori as Graydon in Willow.
Lucasfilm

When it comes to the Willow cast, Warwick Davis is of course returning in the title role, which he first played back in 1988 for the original film. He will also be joined by his cast-mate from that original film Joanne Whalley, reprising her role as Sorsha.

The other major cast member fans might expect back is Val Kilmer as Madmartigan – however, COVID travel restrictions meant he was unable to take part in the series, although fans have been assured that his character is “in the show in a meaningful way and connected to every single one of the characters.”

The series is then also made up of new characters introduced to the world in this series. They include Dove, played by Nocturnal Animals’ Ellie Bamber, Jade, played by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s Erin Kellyman, and Graydon, played by Spider-Man‘s Tony Revolori.

The full central cast for the Willow series is as follows:

  • Warwick Davis as Willow
  • Ellie Bamber as Dove
  • Ruby Cruz as Kit
  • Erin Kellyman as Jade
  • Tony Revolori as Graydon
  • Amar Chadha-Patel as Boorman
  • Dempsey Bryk as Airk
  • Joanne Whalley as Sorsha

Willow trailer

You can watch the full trailer for Willow right here now.