Star Wars icon Lando Calrissian is getting his own spinoff, so here’s everything we know about the proposed TV series, that’s now becoming a movie.
Introduced in the second Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back — and played by Billy Dee Williams — Lando Calrissian is pretty much the coolest cat in the galaxy. A playboy, gambler, and scoundrel, Lando even owned the Millennium Falcon, until he lost it in a bet to Han Solo.
When we first meet Lando, the blaggard betrays his old friend, handing Han over to Darth Vader. But in Return of the Jedi, Lando redeems himself, leading the attack on the Death Star with trademark swagger.
The character more recently appeared in prequel movie Solo, with Donald Glover donning Lando’s killer threads to play a younger version of the character. And now Disney and Lucasfilm are planning a solo adventure for Han’s bestie — here’s everything we know about the proposed project.
Lando: Is it happening?
Donald Glover is currently working on the Lando script with his brother Stephen, and if Disney like what they turn in, expect the movie to be fast-tracked into existence.
Which is a major shift in plans for the character. As of December 2020, Lucasfilm announced plans for a Lando limited series, with Justin Simien (Dear White People, Haunted Mansion) serving as both head writer, and showrunner.
Two years later however – at Anaheim Celebration – Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy said there was no movement due to Donald Glover’s busy schedule, telling fans: “You need to ask Donald. He’s the one that holds all the cards here. But there’s no movement. I will say that honestly. But it’s not for lack of trying. It’s just that he’s a very busy guy.”
When asked by The Hollywood Reporter about his involvement in July 2023, Simien said: “I am attached, I think, but I don’t really know. The last thing I was told was that they loved it but needed to put a pin in it until they could figure out everybody’s availability. I haven’t investigated further, but I’m not an idiot.”
Mere hours later, Simien was reported to have left the series, with Donald Glover and brother Stephen Glover assuming writing and showrunning duties. Then in September 2023, Variety announced that the series was being developed as a movie.
Does Lando have a release date?
Lando doesn’t yet have a release date, with the shift in format and behind-the-scenes creatives pushing the project back.
In terms of movies, Jon Favreau is currently working on The Mandalorian and Grogu, Sharmeen Obaid-Chino is developing her New Jedi Order film, Patty Jenkins has Rogue Squadron to come, while the likes of Dave Filoni, James Manfold, Taika Waititi, Rian Johnson, and Shawn Levy all have Star Wars movies planned.
Where Lando fits into that schedule remains to be seen, and will largely depend on when Donald and Stephen Glover finish their script, and what Kathleen Kennedy and co think of the result.
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Lando cast: Who’s in it?
The Glover brothers writing means it’s confirmed that Donald will again be playing Lando in the movie. A question mark hangs over Billy Dee Williams’ potential involvement.
In February 2024, Glover revealed his reasons for wanting to make the Lando movie to The Hollywood Reporter, saying: “I said yes because I like the characters and my kids love Star Wars.”
He also talked about the movie being very much his vision, by adding: “I feel like I have enough control, and maybe you get painted as a control freak, but it’s like, yeah, control allows for the vision to be singular.”
As for whether Billy Dee Williams would be keen to reprise his role should the Lando movie require an older version of the character, the Radio Times asked, and Williams responded with: “Pay me a lot of money and I’ll sell my soul.”
One actor who could potentially return is Alden Ehrenreich. He played Han to Glover’s Lando, and while their movie didn’t make much of a splash, his performance was well-received, and the pair were praised for their chemistry, so don’t be surprised to see a Solo and Calrissian reteam.
Lando plot: What’s it about?
With Glover involved, Lando will deal with Lando’s younger years, so expect the character to be charming his way in and out of scrapes all over the galaxy.
But how much charm is something the Glover brothers are currently wrestling with. “Lando is charm incarnate,” Glover told GQ last April (in the below video). “He’s kind of a maverick, which I don’t think there’s a lot of anymore. It’s hard to be the smooth talker nowadays. Where’s the line? That’s also where the danger is. How close can you get without tripping over it?”
But that issue notwithstanding, Donald is determined to get this iteration right, adding: “It’s a fun time, being him. It just has to be the right way to do it. Time is precious. The past couple of years, this pandemic sh*t, it really had people experience time… People realize their time is valuable. You only get so much. I’m not interested in doing anything that’s going to be a waste of my time or just a paycheck. I’d much rather spend time with people that I enjoy. It just has to be the right thing, and I think it could be. Lando is definitely somebody I like to hang out with.”
We’ll update this article when there’s more Lando news to report.
Find more amazing TV shows to stream this month, and keep up to date with the Star Wars essentials below:
The Mandalorian & Grogu | Ahsoka Season 2 | New Star Wars movies set to come out in this order | The Mandalorian Season 4 | Star Wars: New Jedi Order
