Lando Calrissian actor Donald Glover has been tapped to co-write the beloved Star Wars character’s long-gestating Disney+ series.
According to Variety, Donald Glover and his brother Stephen Glover are attached to write Disney+’s Lando for Lucasfilm. Previously announced Lando writer Justin Simien is seemingly no longer involved with the project, as sources say the Glover brothers are writing the show alone. The two reportedly closed a deal to pen the upcoming Star Wars series prior to the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.
Donald Glover is perhaps best known for his on-screen performances, as well as for his musical performances as Childish Gambino. However, he is also a seasoned writer, having cut his teeth penning episodes of the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. Donald also created the FX comedy-drama Atlanta. In addition to starring in the show, he wrote and executive produced it with brother Stephen.
Lando is heading to Disney+
Billy Dee Williams originated the role of Lando Calrissian in the original Star Wars film trilogy. He first played the character in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back before returning for 1983’s Return of the Jedi. Williams eventually reprised his role as Lando for the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. In the interim, Donald Glover portrayed a young Lando in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story — a spin-off film set about 13 years before the events of The Empire Strikes Back.
In December 2020, Lucasfilm officially announced a Lando limited series for Disney+. Since then, however, details and updates regarding the project have been scarce. Glover most recently publicly discussed the series this past April. “I would love to play Lando again,” he said. “It’s a fun time to be him. It just has to be the right, it just needs to be the right way to do it … So yeah, I mean, we’re talking about it. That’s as much as I can say without [Lucasfilm president] Kathleen Kennedy hunting me down.”
Simien actually discussed Lando earlier this month, before news of his apparent exit broke. “I certainly poured my heart and spent a lot of time working with them to put together a really great show,” he said. “It feels like everybody loves it. And, you know, I was told we had to put a pause on it because of scheduling, and the next update I got [was in 2020], some years ago. So I don’t know, I have no idea what’s going on with it.” Simien maintained a working relationship with Disney, though, having directed the company’s new Haunted Mansion film.
