With his much-awaited Star Wars flick featuring the endearing scoundrel Lando Calrissian, multi-talented artist Donald Glover is poised to attract moviegoers in a galaxy far, far away. Fans have been waiting impatiently for updates on the project for years.
Well, the Lando series was announced in 2020, but it was shelved for many years. But last year, speculations that Glover would not only be coming back to the project, but that the project would now be a movie instead of a series piqued fans’ interest. Having waited around for years, Glover may have rationally said goodbye to the galaxy far, far away.
In an interview with THR, Glover did, however, offer an encouraging update about his pivotal role in creating and ultimately leading the Lando flick. He recently discussed how his family’s enthusiasm for the franchise, as well as his own love for the character, influenced his decision to return.
He also made it apparent that his ‘singular’ vision was needed to venture into uncharted territory within the Star Wars universe.
Star Wars: Donald Glover on Why He Agreed to Return for the Lando Film
Initially, the project was supposed to be a television series created by Justin Simien, the man behind Dear White People, and it was announced in December 2020 (via Cinema Blend). In 2023, he departed the project.
Donald Glover, who played a young Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story, then joined the project as a writer and showrunner along with his brother. As we learned from Variety, it was later confirmed that the project would actually be a motion film rather than a television series.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor-writer-comedian, 40, answered questions about whether he thought it was simple to write a Lando film and about his major role in ultimately playing the lead.
“Maya [Erskine, Glover’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star] and I talk about ‘no’s a lot, it’s the only power you have in this industry. But I said yes because I like the characters and my kids love Star Wars.”
From there, Glover—who never settles for mediocrity—explained why he felt the film was able to exceed his expectations and why he wanted to make a lasting impression, going on to discuss creative control over the project:
“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. And if the vision is singular, people want it more. The less it’s singular, the less people want it because they feel like they could’ve made it.”
Glover is taking ownership of the project despite the often restrictive demands of the entertainment industry, particularly when working on a project for a large-scale franchise.
Lando: What is Known About the Star Wars film
Disney+ has already hosted a large number of TV series premieres. The Mandalorian wrapped up its third season in the spring of 2023. Andor was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2024, as was Obi-Wan Kenobi. Lando was also supposed to be the next show for a while, but Variety reports that the project is currently being planned as a movie.
The film will tell the tale of the long-living character Lando Calrissian, who is based on the same-named character from the franchise. But who will play the lead in this film? And when might the release date be? What do we currently know about the upcoming Star Wars film?
Along with several other Star Wars-related projects, most of which have either already been released or are scheduled to debut at some point, the Lando project was also announced in December 2020. Among them were the upcoming The Acolyte, which will premiere in 2024, and Tony Gilroy’s Andor, which has already had its first season.
Well, for a while, Lando remained a mystery, and it was not until September 2023 that it was revealed that the show had been made into a movie. As of the time of this writing, it should not be surprising that the much-awaited film has no release date.
Seeing the movie before 2025 will be a blessing at this rate.
Meanwhile, you can stream Solo: A Star Wars Story on Disney Plus.
