Donald Glover is writing his own Lando series

It’s all change behind-the-scenes of the forthcoming Lando Calrissian Star Wars series, with the previously announced showrunner departing, and star Donald Glover assuming writing duties alongside his brother Stephen.

As played by Billy Dee Williams, Lando Calrissian was introduced in The Empire Strikes Back, and with his questionable loyalties, and quirky sense of style, the character quickly became a fan favorite.

Williams reprised the role in Return of the Jedi, and made a belated return in The Rise of Skywalker. By which time Donald Glover had played a younger version of the character in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

That film wasn’t the monster hit that Disney and Lucasfilm had been hoping, but audiences liked Glover’s take on the character, prompting the announcement of a Lando series on Disney+, to be overseen by Dear White People creator Justin Simien. However, that no longer seems to be the case.

Donald Glover is writing his own Lando series

According to Variety, brothers Donald Glover and Stephen Glover will be writing the Lando series for Disney+, with Justin Simien now no longer attached to the project.

The deal was done before the writer’s strike, though back in April, Glover had this to say about Calrissian to GQ: “Lando is charm incarnate. He’s kind of a maverick, which I don’t think there’s a lot of anymore. It’s hard to be the smooth talker nowadays. Where’s the line? That’s also where the danger is. How close can you get without tripping over it?

“I would love to play Lando again. It’s a fun time, being him. It just has to be the right way to do it. Time is precious. The past couple of years, this pandemic sh*t, it really had people experience time… People realize their time is valuable. You only get so much. I’m not interested in doing anything that’s going to be a waste of my time or just a paycheck. I’d much rather spend time with people that I enjoy. It just has to be the right thing, and I think it could be. Lando is definitely somebody I like to hang out with.”

What’s next for Star Wars?

Before the Lando series goes into production, an Ahsoka series hits Disney+ next month, starring Rosario Dawson as the title character.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – featuring Jude Law and a bunch of kids – follows in 2023. Then The Acolyte – set 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace – drops sometime in 2024. Plus there’s Andor Season 2, though the actor’s strike has meant that show just halted principal photography.

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