Val Kilmer, who has been showcasing his extraordinary talents as an actor for many years, hit a roadblock after getting diagnosed with throat cancer. The actor has been struggling with the disease since 2015, however, only made a public statement in 2015 regarding the same. The actor recently appeared in a role in Top Gun Maverick (2022).
Willow, an upcoming Disney+ series is based on and will be a sequel to 1988’s Willow, where Val Kilmer played the role of Madmartigan. While it is reportedly denied that Kilmer would be reprising his role, many hope that he would make a comeback.
Willow showrunner hopeful that Val Kilmer will reprise his role as Madmartigan
Val Kilmer’s role as Madmartigan in Willow was much appreciated by the fans. Now with the news of a series that would play a sequel to Willow (1988), there have been discussions on whether Kilmer would make a return. Kilmer’s recent appearance in 2022s Top Gun: Maverick has fans hoping that the actor would reprise his role after the announcement by Warwick Davis and Joanne Whally.
Showrunner Jonathan Kasdan has mentioned that Madmartigan would have a major role in the series as a driving force behind the adventures. The series would focus on the younger generation, that is to say, the twin children of Madmartigan and queen Sorsha, Kit and Airk, along with their crew.
“Because we were telling a story that had so many young characters, and that they were all searching for their identity, the search for Madmartigan and the question of what had happened to him was right at the heart of the story we were telling,” Kasdan explained. “We knew that it would be woven into this [new] quest in a fundamental way, to see where he was and what had become him and what he’d given up, particularly for Ruby’s character, Kit, and for Dempsey’s character, Airk, in order to do good. That question follows the whole season.”
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Considering that Van Kilmer was able to reprise his role as Admiral Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky in Top Gun: Maverick with aid of AI technology, fans were open to any hope that the Standing Up actor could at least make a cameo in the upcoming series. When inquired if Kilmer could make an appearance, Kasdan said:
“Madmartigan is still out there,” further adding “I’ve had many conversations with everyone involved and our feeling is he is out there to be found, should the day arrive. I think Warwick and I would both love to see him pick up that sword again.”
Given the fact that the sequel series would show the story moving forwards after a gap of 20 years, fans would be enthusiastic to watch the younger generation of heroes fighting in the shadows of their mentors.
Val Kilmer’s return in Top Gun: Maverick
Val Kilmer, who has now an electric plug in his trachea to even speak, has had a glorious career, playing many roles over the course of a long journey as an actor. He made his debut in the film industry landing a part in Top Secret! (1984) where he played the role of a rockstar. Kilmer was known to sing all the songs in the movie himself and later, he published an album in the name of his character Nick Rivers.
The actor’s stardom was achieved when he appeared in Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise which crossed a total of over $344 million worldwide. He was also cast as Madmartigan in Willow where he met his future wife, co-star Joanne Whalley. Kilmer would then appear alongside his spouse in Kill Me Again (1989).
After Michael Keaton backed out of 1993s Batman Forever, the role went on to be taken by Val Kilmer, who reportedly took the role while being unaware of who the director was as well as without reading the script. Despite the film being a success at the box office, Kilmer’s representation of Batman received mixed reviews.
After two decades of incredible acting, in which the actor was even nominated for a Grammy award, the actor was hospitalized for what was rumored to be a tumor. While Kilmer denied those rumors, no later than 2017, he announced that he had a remission. In December 2017, it was revealed that the Saint actor had gone through a “two-year battle with throat cancer” and “a procedure on his trachea has reduced his voice to a rasp and rendered him short of breath”.
In 2020, Kilmer reported that he was free of cancer for four years now. The actor recently appeared in Top Gun: Maverick, where he reprised his role of Admiral Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky with help of AI technology. While denied by Kilmer, fans are still speculating if he would make a return in the Disney+ series Willow as Madmartigan.