Where the heck is Lando? Bad news,Star Warsfans. Director Rian Johnson has confirmed that Billy Dee Williams' Lando Calrissian will not appear inStar Wars: The Last Jedi. The actor said as much during this year’sStar WarsCelebration in April, but this puts the final nail in the coffin. Though, Johnson’s reasoning is hard to argue against. Here’s what he had to say about it in a recent interview.
“No, and I don’t want fans to get their hopes up. He’s not in the film and it was never really something that came up. I mean, I loved that character. It would have been fun to see him, but it’s just not something that ever really had a place in the story.”
At least Rian Johnson isn’t being cagey about it. Even thoughBilly Dee Williamssaid he wasn’t in the movie, that was back in April. There was always the chance a scene could have been added to includeLando CalrissianinStar Wars 8between then and now. But that’s not going to be the case. So if we’re going to see Lando at all in this new trilogy, it’s up to J.J. Abrams to find a place for him inStar Wars: Episode IX.
While many fans are eager to seeBilly Dee Williams appear as Lando Calrissianone more time on the big screen, Rian Johnson says it isn’t happening inThe Last Jedifor the best of reasons. One could imagine a scenario where Lucasfilm says, “Wouldn’t it be great if we had Lando show up in this movie?” But Johnson was committed to telling the story he needed to tell and thatdoesn’t involve Lando Calrissian. He didn’t attempt to force in any fanservice. That’s a good thing.
Billy Dee Williams has always embraced the role of Lando Calrissian. While some actors, most notably Harrison Ford, did their best to distance themselves fromStar Warsfor many years, Williams always was a great ambassador for the franchise and has reprised the role when given the chance. He’s even appeared on a few episodes ofStar Wars Rebels. Though, it would be a shame if those episodes were the last bits of Lando we ever get.
The other potentially good thing about this is avoiding parallels. Rian Johnson has promised thatStar Wars: The Last Jedi, which arrives in theaters on December 15, isn’t just going to be a rehash ofThe Empire Strikes Back. Not having Lando in the second installment of the trilogy removes at least one similarity. While Johnson confirmed Lando won’t appear inThe Last JeditoEntertainment Weekly, we know he’s willing to come back, which is good. If nothing else, we’ll get to seeDonald Glover as a young Lando CalrissianinSolo: A Star Wars Storynext year.
