It’s been a pretty rough couple of weeks for the folks over at Skywalker Ranch, what with reports claiming that Lucasfilm has put all standalone Star Wars pics on hold until further notice – likely due to the underwhelming box office performance of Solo, which limped to a weak $83 million on its opening weekend and hasn’t recovered since.
That’s a shame, really, especially when you take into consideration those 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 finally received some good news the other month when, after many rumors and lots of speculation, Billy Dee Williams was confirmed to be returning as Lando Calrissian for Star Wars: Episode IX.
Of course, details on how big of a role he’ll have, and how he’ll factor into the story are being kept tightly under wraps, but over on Reddit, a user has put forth a new theory which suggests how Lando may be brought back into the fold, and it all has to do with Leia.
In short, it’s believed that Episode IX will kickoff with a funeral for the General. With Leia now gone, the Rebels will be in desperate search of a leader and it’s at this point that they find Lando, who after learning of both Han and Luke’s death, and now Leia’s, will decide to lead the Rebels in honor of his fallen friends.
Perhaps this could even provide the impetus for the Rebels’ uprising, too, with Han, Luke and the General’s sacrifice each sparking hope in the new generation, which finally sees an end to the First Order. Maybe her death will even spark further conflict in Kylo Ren? He’ll need something new to be Emo about, after all.
Chalk this up as speculation for now, but until we get some firm answers, tell us, how do you think Star Wars: Episode IX should deal with the return of Lando Calrissian? Let us know in the comments section below.