Val Kilmer Was Forced to Pull Out of Disney+’s ‘Willow’ Series at the Last Minute: We ‘Want Madmartigan Back’

usmagazine.com:

Nearly a fairy tale ending. Val Kilmer wanted to reprise the role of Madmartigan for the Willow reboot series — but was forced to pull out at the last minute.“We really wanted Val to come be in the show,” showrunner Jonathan Kasdan told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Tuesday, November 29, explaining that he met with the Top Gun star, 62, before production began to see if he was interested in taking part. “And Val really wanted to come out and be in the show. … I said, ‘Listen, we’re doing this.

And the whole world wants Madmartigan back.’ And he was like, ‘Not as much as I do.'”Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015 and went public with his health issues two years later.

As part of his cancer treatment, the Tombstone star underwent a tracheostomy surgery that permanently damaged his vocal cords and left a hole in his throat.Despite his health issues, Kasdan told EW that Kilmer was excited to pick up his sword one more time. “He embraced me when I left,” the producer explained. “He picked me up, and he said, ‘See?

I’m still super strong.’ And I was like, ‘Great.'”Due to his determination to return to the world of Willow, the first season of the Disney+ series was written to include Kilmer’s character in a major role.