Especially after the mixed reaction to “Solo” — the somewhat unnecessary origin story of the rogue smuggler Han Solo — Kasdan (who co-wrote that screenplay with his father Lawrence Kasdan) is certainly familiar with fan backlash. For what it’s worth, “Solo” was made for and by diehard “Star Wars” fans that would actually get a kick out of references to characters like Aurra Singh and gasp at the return of Darth Maul. “Willow” is no different, with Kasdan peppering in numerous connections to the 1988 original. What he went through with “Star Wars” is similar to what Rian Johnson experienced with the incredibly divisive second entry in the sequel trilogy, “The Last Jedi.”
This is all to say that Kasdan understands that you can’t please everyone. Kasdan, it appears, has learned to value every opinion as long as he continues to follow his heart, just like Willow does. Kasdan told /Film:
“What’s nice about that dynamic and that knowledge that I’m sort of privy to is that it makes it possible to embrace every opinion that people have and relate to every opinion people have. So there’s a real satisfaction — or rather a peace, I guess — in knowing that you’re never going to please everyone and that you could just try to follow your heart and your gut and express your love for this stuff in the best way you know how.”
Beloved characters like Luke Skywalker or Willow Ufgood can stay in a sort of stasis in the memories of fans, but in order for them to fully grow, they have to change when the story continues.