WIRE Buzz: Willow sequel series starts scripting; VFX Society nominations; Mythic Quest trailer

A long-coming Lucasfilm sequel is actually happening! No, nothing to do with Star Wars or Indiana Jones — obviously we're talking about the upcoming Willow TV show. The iconic Ron Howard-helmed fantasy film from 1988 is getting a follow-up all its own, with Solo co-writer Jonathan Kasdan scripting the show for Disney+. The pilot is written and now, thanks to a new update, it looks like some more episodes will be written shortly. 

There’s no update on the cast — which presumably doesn’t see Warwick Davis’ Willow Ufgood reunite with Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan — but there is a writer’s room. Kasdan posted the proof himself!

Take a look:

That’s a hat. And on that hat? Willow. Davis has long been close with the world of George Lucas and, now, Disney. After making his bones in their films, the actor has recently been hosting Star Wars Celebration for the House of Mouse — meaning that he and his filmography are never far from the company’s mind.

A more mature Willow could be on the way to the streaming service in the future, though since the team is just now breaking out the season, it will be some time yet before fans can bask in the nostalgia.

Next, another awards season update. Don’t worry, this isn’t another list of great scripts or the same old directors — this is all about great achievements in special effects. 

The Visual Effects Society announced its nominees today for its 2020 awards, and fans can certainly believe that genre had a strong showing. If not effectwork, then where? The categories are deliciously specific and utterly focused on some of the fan-favorite films of the year.

Nominees for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature include Alita: Battle Angel, Avengers: Endgame, Gemini Man, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and The Lion King, while supporting work for the same category honored Joker. The animated side of things nominated Frozen II, Klaus, Missing Link, The Lego Movie 2, and Toy Story 4.

Alita, Smart Hulk, Will Smith’s young clone, and Scar were all called out for being specifically impressive character work while Bo Peep, Missing Link’s titular character Susan, Klaus’ Jesper, and Frozen II’s The Water Nøkk were honored similarly in the animated arena.

For TV, Game of Thrones’ "The Bells" was joined by His Dark Materials’ "The Fight to the Death,” The Mandalorian’s "The Child," Stranger Things’ "Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum," and Lost in Space’s "Episode: Ninety-Seven."

And yes, Baby Yoda basically got a nomination on his own. No, really: The Child, alongside Stranger Things’ Tom/Bruce Monster and The Mandalorian’s Mudhorn, was honored as an especially impressive character. Vikings, Living With Yourself, See, and Chernobyl also earned nods for supporting TV effectwork.

The full (and highly specific) list can be found here. It may take until Jan. 29 to read, which will be just in time for the Society to announce their winners.

Finally, one of the strangest shows coming to Apple TV+ has released its first trailer. Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, a show from Always Sunny duo Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day about a video game company, is bringing nine half-hour comedy episodes to the platform on Feb. 7 and WoW does it look strange. Yes, that WoW is meant to reference World of Warcraft. Just work with us here, OK?

And try not to work with these developers, who all look like terrible co-workers. Check it out:

Elon Musk, meet MMORPGs. This show, with its Silicon Valley send-up, looks to take ego mania to the extreme when it hits Apple TV+ next month.