Stephen Woolfenden Steps in to Direct WILLOW Series Pilot as Jonathan Entwistle Exits the Disney+ Show

Stephen Woolfenden Steps in to Direct WILLOW Series Pilot as Jonathan Entwistle Exits the Disney+ Show.

The sequel series Willow is working hard to completion, but it isn’t going without troubles. Director Jonathan Entwistle has stepped away from the project, and Stephen Woolfenden has stepped in to direct the series’ pilot episode.

Deadline reports that Entwistle, the second director on the project, had signed up for the job in late January, calling it “a dream come true,” but then reportedly left the project in April. Entwistle replaced Jon M. Chu, who had stepped down two weeks prior citing scheduling concerns.

The production schedule for Willow was pushed, in part because of a recasting of one of the leads. As a result, Entwistle left during prep in April due to a scheduling conflict with his Apple TV+ series Hello Tomorrow, starring Billy Crudup, which is about to start production.

The report goes on to say that Entwistle’s exit did not impact production. Stephen Woolfenden, a producing director on the Willow series, stepped in to shoot the first two episodes, which now have been completed.

The series a follow-up to the 1988 fantasy movie, with the film’s star Warwick Davis reprising his title role.

The new incarnation comes from Jonathan Kasdan, who wrote the pilot and serves as co-showrunner alongside Wendy Mericle; the original film’s director Ron Howard and writer Bob Dolman; as well as Lucasfilm, which produced the movie.

The series is set to hit Disney+ in 2022.