Donald Glover Would Play Star Wars' Lando Calrissian Again If It Felt 'Right'
To be a smooth talking and charismatic personality in the galaxy of "Star Wars" requires a certain finesse that few are able to reach. Lando Calrissian, originally played by Billy Dee Williams, has a reputation as a gambler and rogue, but by the time audiences are first introduced to the character in "The Empire Strikes Back," he has turned over a new leaf and acts as a local leader in the Cloud City on Bespin. This change of station catches Han Solo (Harrison Ford) off guard, but the two are soon behaving like no time has been lost between them.
However, some of the backstory shared between Solo and Calrissian is explored in "Solo: A Star Wars Story," where the two are played by Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover, respectively. The two meet when Han decides that he needs a ship to complete the Kessel Run, and he manages to gamble ownership of the Millennium Falcon away from Calrissian during a game Sabacc. Calm and collected, Glover channeled the personable nature of the character, and it seems as if he is open to returning to the role. During an interview with GQ, Glover explained how he approached the character as cool incarnate, and added, "I mean, I would love to play Lando again. 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."
Williams told Glover to portray Lando as charming and interested
Although there is no sequel to "Solo" currently planned, despite Alden Ehrenreich weighing in on the possibility, it sounds like Donald Glover wouldn't mind getting into the mindset of Lando Calrissian again. Of course, the stipulation here is that it must be the right time to do it. So, it sounds like he isn't particularly interested in some throwaway cameo for the sake of an appearance. If Disney decides to explore more of the "Star Wars" history from before the original trilogy, they might already have a Calrissian volunteer in Glover. Plus, let's not forget about that Lando series in the works for Disney+.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Glover talked about meeting the first Lando, Billy Dee Williams, and said of the interaction, "It was really, really relaxed. He was great. I mean, I had a lot of questions. And then he just told me, just be charming. And so, I was like, 'Okay!' I just kind of did that. He said, 'Just be interested in things.' Lando has, I wouldn't say eccentric, but eclectic tastes. So I tried to work that into the role as much as possible."
Whether or not viewers get another chance to see young Lando is anybody's guess, but at least it is now known that Glover is certainly up to the task if the script and time is right.