Lucasfilm has confirmed they’re considering a Lando Calrissian spinoff.
Surprisingly, we are at a mysterious crossroads for the Star Wars franchise. With Solo: A Star Wars Story on the cusp of release and Episode IX looming on the horizon, where does Disney take their billion dollar property from here? Lucasfilm has been rather cagey regarding the potential projects they’re contemplating.
Rumors of a Ewan McGregor led Obi-Wan adventure are forever prevalent. Do they still dare that Boba Fett film written by Simon Kinberg which was once upon a time intended for Josh Trank to direct? Just what the hell are Rian Johnson, David Benioff, and D.B. Weiss contemplating with their spinoff trilogies?
The endless possibilities of what A Star Wars Story could be have dwindled since they were originally conceived. Fantasies of Old Republic history lessons have resulted in the realities of Rogue One and Solo. Disney seems to be leaving the future of the galaxy to the “Skywalker Saga” films and is content to use these standalone installments as celebrations of the known. We should not expect that to change anytime soon.
Riding high from their four-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, Kathleen Kennedy exclaimed to Premiere France that they are excited to continue the adventures of Han and Chewbacca, but a Lando feature is a definite possibility:
“We would love to tell a story about Lando Calrissian one day, but it’s not relevant, it would be fun to tell the story of Han and Chewie.”
This quote was originally mistranslated by the French magazine which infered that the Lando film was a sure thing. The internet lost its mind. As i09 reported, Lucasfilm requested a revision, and the above quote was the result.
More Han and Chewie? Yeah, ok. I’m sure that makes sense to Kennedy and company. But I’m with the rest of the internet. Lando is the scoundrel to watch.
I have not seen Solo yet, but simply based on the footage in the trailers, Donald Glover has mastered the charm of Billy Dee Williams. While I still struggle with the concept of Alden Ehrenreich filling the scruffy nerfherder shoes of Harrison Ford, Glover kicking back at the sabacc table feels genuine. You want to hang with that dude. You’d join any scheme Lando asked of you, and apparently, I’m not alone on that daydream.
While speaking to Screen Rant, Jonathan Kasdan, who co-wrote Solo with his father Lawrence Kasdan, invoked his desire to follow Lando on his path to Cloud City:
“First of all I’m dying to see a Lando film. I would help in anyway I was asked to. I think that’s a great movie. I mean, I think you know one of the things though that’s interesting is, I want to see a Lando film very similar way to the way I think Larry was excited by a Han film.”
The screenwriter has obviously been percolating some ideas in his head. Kasdan knows that where Lando goes, a certain cyborg manservant must follow:
“And if there is a Lando movie, it’s hard to imagine doing it without Lobot.”
Looking at the bevy of early reviews, most critics agree that Donald Glover is a major standout in Solo. The Verge says he’s “every bit the scene-stealer the trailer promised.” Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com says, “Donald Glover’s Lando walks off with the movie.” IGN takes the praise even further stating that “Glover captures the duplicity and bravado of the best-dressed rogue in the franchise, while also revealing a surprisingly tender side at one key point in the film.”
Solo currently has a so-so critic score of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yes, that’s a “Fresh” rating, but it’s also the lowest percentage Star Wars has received since the Disney reboot. We’ll always show up for Han and Chewie, but the early buzz suggests Lucasfilm picked the wrong sidekick to take center stage.
IndieWire’s Kate Erbland is sure Glover’s Lando “could easily handle his own spinoff.” Kristy Puchko’s mostly negative review at Pajiba is, “Can we get a Lando movie now, please?” And likewise, Matt Singer of Screen Crush suggests, “If Lucasfilm really is serious about a Solo sequel, I only want to see it if it’s called Lando: A Star Wars Story.” Cinema Blend’s Conner Schwerdtfeger is betting on it, and he likes the odds:
I may be down on the prospect of Star Wars being continuously trapped in the past, but if Lucasfilm is determined to fill out the backstory of all our favorite characters, Lando is not an individual I would bemoan. Donald Glover is enjoying a creative peak right now. If he has the energy and the inspiration to explore the morally gray schemes of Calrissian, we would be wise to heed him.