How the Rumored Donald Glover / Lando Series Could Impact the Star Wars Universe

Image via Disney/Lucasfilm

Star Wars fans were rightfully excited when Billy Dee Williams made his triumphant return in The Rise of Skywalker only to be disappointed when he didn’t have much to do. Outside of serving an exposition dump for Rey & crew, showing up in the final battle, and having a weird scene with Naomi Ackie’s Jannah at the movie’s conclusion, Williams’ involvement seemed like it could have been so much more. While the new trilogy gave viewers an extensive depth and breadth of what Leia, Luke, and Han had been up to since the end of Return of the Jedi, we certainly didn’t get the same treatment for Lando in his brief appearance.

Perhaps LucasFilm is looking to rectify this error. Additional spins of the rumor mill seem to indicate Billy Dee Wiliams himself will be a part of the series. The involvement of Williams suggests the show might set up a dual narrative between young and old Lando. Could we get Billy Dee’s Lando holding court in a cantina, spinning yarns about his heydays of smuggling with Glover starring in the flashbacks? This format could lend itself well to an episodic adventure of the week-style series in the same way The Mandalorian did for most of its debut season. Or we could see some sort of overarching mystery that’s plagued Lando from his younger years into old age. Either way, having both Glover and Williams in the same series is quite a compelling prospect—and would undoubtedly make up for any sour grapes over reduced screentime in The Rise of Skywalker and the lack of Solo sequels.

Speaking of Solo, fans have emplored LucasFilm to give the spin-off another shot—for a good reason. As we saw at the end of the movie, Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra is now reporting to none other than Darth Maul. Fans of The Clone Wars animated series know Maul survived his seeming death blow in The Phantom Menace, only to rise to power as the head of an intergalactic crime syndicate. The criminal underbelly of Star Wars has been present throughout all the movies. Solo’s ending uniquely positioned further films in the spin-off to dive deep into this heart of darkness—only to have these ideas ripped away due to poor performance at the box office.

Perhaps this Lando series will pick up where Solo left off and explore these dangling plots on Disney+ instead. Hell, Alden Ehrenreich could even show up for an episode or two if the story called for it. But using what did work about Solo—without the pressures of turning a massive profit—would assuredly be one way for LucasFilm to have its cake and eat it too.

The vastness of Star Wars means there is any number of tales to be told. Before The Mandalorian debuted, some viewers balked at having a dedicated bounty hunter show starring a character no one had heard of before. Then Baby Yoda arrived, and the show became a pop culture phenomenon because of it while proving Star Wars still can shock and surprise. Perhaps the Lando show might be something we haven’t even thought of, something bold and new to radically change the perception of what stories can be in this universe.

Glover’s take on Lando felt both fresh and representative of the spirit of what Billy Dee Williams had done before, giving a performance that often felt effortless in its execution. Building an entire show around his persona and gifts as an actor has worked—to remarkable effect—previously. Why not do it again in one of pop culture’s most significant universes?

Regardless of the direction LucasFilm ultimately decides to choose for their Lando show, having Glover’s involvement is deeply exciting in and of itself. Considering the turmoil around the franchise in recent years, having something—even if it’s only the scantest of rumors—to get passionate about can only mean good things for Star Wars. Whatever part of this galaxy far, far way the show decides to chart, it’s refreshing to know audiences have something exciting on the horizon.