The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that brothers Donald Glover (Community) and Stephen Glover (Atlanta) are joining forces to write the new Disney+ show Lando. Showrunner Justin Simien (Haunted Mansion) stepped down, and the position was passed to the Glover brothers, as Simien had other commitments. The show will focus on Lando Calrissian, who is known as smooth-talking smuggler. Donald Glover made his first appearance in the Star Wars universe as Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Glover is not the first actor to play Calrissian. Billy Dee Williams (Batman) portrayed Han Solo’s friend turned enemy turned friend again, first in the 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back.
In 2020, Disney announced Lucasfilm was beginning to work on the show. Now with the writers’ strike and other unforeseen circumstances, movement is currently halted on the show, other than the announcement of the Glover brothers’ involvement. Simien recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about its future, saying, “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… Because it seems like I develop things with these companies and they just never happen for reasons unknown.” Although Simien is no longer working on the show as showrunner, he remains intrigued if the reason things he’s involved in don’t work out is because he may be “too black” or “too queer”.
Star Wars is a multi-billion dollar franchise, obtaining some of the most passionate and opinionated fans in the galaxy. Solo: A Star Wars Story is considered the franchise’s first flop at the box office; but despite the disappointing numbers, reviews of Glover’s portrayal of Calrissian were positive ones. Donald Glover spoke with GQ, revealing he is still very interested in Lando, as he is particular about what he chooses to sign onto. Until any further information about the show is released, you can watch Lando Calrissian smooth-talk his way through the galaxy in the Star Wars movies.
Photo credit: Sharon Algana