Finally, some good news has arrived from that galaxy far, far away.
It’s been an admittedly rough couple of weeks for the folks at Skywalker Ranch, what with reports claiming that Lucasfilm has put all standalone Star Wars movies on hold until further notice – likely due to the woeful box office performance of Solo, which limped to an underwhelming $83 million on its opening weekend and hasn’t recovered since.
That’s a shame, really, especially when you factor in claims that Lucasfilm had initially hoped to delay the release of Han Solo’s origins movie until December of 2018, only to be shot down by Disney. Be that as it may, we’re now hearing that after months of rumors and speculation, Billy Dee Williams is confirmed to be returning as Lando Calrissian for Star Wars: Episode IX.
The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop, and though no further details on his role were given, the character is certainly a welcome addition to the film. After all, with Han Solo gone, Luke Skywalker vanished and presumably now a Force Ghost and Carrie Fisher tragically passing away before production commenced, there’s been a loud call for an Original Trilogy hero to make a comeback.
Of course, Lando was popular enough already, based on his scoundrel-turned-hero character arc in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but Donald Glover’s performance (not to mention his capes) in Solo propelled him into the outer regions. As such, it’s really no surprise to see Lucasfilm bringing Lando back for Star Wars: Episode IX and as soon as we learn more about what the studio has planned for him, we’ll be sure to let you know.
