Credit: LucasfilmDonald Glover has revealed a disappointing update on the status of his Lando spin-off series.
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Glover appeared in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story as the iconic gambling con artist.
His story, much like that of Ki’ra (Emilia Clarke) and young Han Solo himself (Alden Ehrenreich) seemed destined to continue, with that origin story’s plot leaving some open ends.
Diminished box office returns and a general air of franchise exhaustion put a halt to that dream. But fans were near-unanimous in their praise of Glover’s performance, heralding his interpretation of the role made famous by Billy Dee Williams as both a fitting tribute and a fresh play on how a charming scoundrel like Lando Calrissian might have made his way in a dangerous galaxy… especially in the shadow of Sith lord Darth Vader, in a time before Luke Skywalker rose to provide a new hope.
In 2020, it seemed like fans may yet get another opportunity to see Glover’s take on Calrissian return, when in December of that year it was officially announced the character would get his own Disney+ series, Lando. The show’s plot would be developed by Justin Simien.
But news has run dry since, with the only reference being from Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim last year, with one fan reporting that Kennedy said the show’s future was dependent on Glover finishing up other outstanding projects first.
Glover delivered his own update this week in a new interview with British GQ, but it isn’t exactly promising news.
Speaking to them for a breakdown of his most iconic roles, he said:
“I would love to play Lando again. It’s a fun time to be him. It just needs to be the right way to do it… I’m all about like… now it’s like, time is precious.
“I think everybody’s like, you know in the past couple of years, this pandemic **** like, really had people experience time in a way where they’re like, well why am I… I should be around oranges, you know, people kinda realize their time is valuable, you only get so much so, I’m not interested in doing anything that’s just going to be a waste of my time or just a paycheck.
“I’d much rather spend time with people that I enjoy. So it just has to be the right thing, which I think it could be. I mean, like, Lando is definitely somebody I’d like to hang out with. So yeah, I mean, we’re talking about it. That’s as much as I can say.”
So the latest is… they’re still talking. Admittedly, shows of this scale, with a star of Glover’s size, do take a fair bit of co-ordination to get off the ground.
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It’s interesting that he precedes the confirmation of him still being very interested, with comments around prioritizing time and ensuring the production is as high quality as possible.
That makes sense: after Solo’s fraught production, Glover most likely is looking for stability and an assured hand to help take Lando to the finish line in the style he deserves.
Let’s hope he finds that soon — and that things advance beyond the talking stage to get us into hyperspace.
Are you looking forward to the Lando series? Tell us in the comments below.