Star Wars fans are doing fine on cloud nine today. No wait, I mean in Cloud City. The franchise is growing in all kinds of huge ways that were revealed today during Disney's deep-diving video presentation for investors. On top of the two Mandalorian spinoffs and updates about several other projects – and not just those meant for TV – LucasFIlm's Kathleen Kennedy also revealed that Disney+ will soon be the home for a brand new TV series based on iconic franchise character Lando Calrissian! Grab a Colt 45, because Lando is coming back, baby!
Check out the newly revealed Lando title art below, too!
Lando will be crafted by Justin Simien, the acclaimed director and writer of Dear White People, both the film and Netflix's TV spinoff, and the recent dark comedy horror Bad Hair. That will definitely give Lando a completely different flavor than anything we've seen the character in before, which basically amounts to three trilogy era appearances and a larger role in the spinoff Solo, at least on the live-action front. He also appeared in two episodes of Star Wars Rebels, and it wouldn't be the wildest thing in the world if he also appeared in one of the other animated shows on the way. However it goes, I expect a great time from Simien's debut in Star Wars canon.
Unfortunately, Kathleen Kennedy was not very up front about who might be cast in this Lando TV spinoff. Considering FX's Atlanta falls under the Disney umbrella, the company has access to Donald Glover even beyond his role in Solo, so one can only hope that he winds up being the studio's go-to choice for the TV role. When Lando TV rumors went around a few months ago, Donald Glover's name was attached, so that's one point in the "pro" column.
Donald Glover also showed up in a quick sizzle reel, as did the original Lando portrayer Billy Dee Williams. It's possible that a deal just hasn't been worked out yet, thus the silence on any confirmation, or there might be a need for the studio to find another actor for the role. Ron Howard has talked about making a Solo sequel happen, and it doesn't sound like the longest shot, especially now that the company is getting more comfortable developing features with Disney+ in mind. So maybe Glover would need to hold out for that, although it would be odd to have competing Landos on the same service.
Bringing Lando to episodic TV is not only a great way to give audiences a much-appreciated expansion of a fan-favorite character from the Star Wars universe, but it's also a way for Star Wars to continue giving characters of color leading roles within the live-action universe. And Justin Simien is hopefully going to deliver one of the coolest and smoothest entries into the franchise.
Stay tune for more Lando updates as they become available. While waiting, head to our Fall TV 2020 premiere schedule and our Winter and Spring 2021 TV guide to see what's coming soon.
