The last time actor Billy Dee Williams donned Lando Calrissian’s swanky cape was in 1983, to shoot Return of the Jedi. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he’ll be returning to a galaxy far, far away for the as-yet-untitled Star Wars: Episode IX.
Per THR, rumors about Williams’ eventual return to the franchise began to swirl when he canceled an appearance at an upcoming sci-fi convention, and soon after that, the site’s sources confirmed that Williams had, in fact, joined the cast of the final movie in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, to be directed by J.J. Abrams.
Williams first appeared as Lando in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, when Lando was the administrator of Cloud City. Old friends with Han Solo (Harrison Ford), the two shared a love for the Millennium Falcon, which Han won from Lando in a game of Sabacc. We got more details on that game in Solo: A Star Wars Story, which came out in May. There, young Han was played by Alden Ehrenreich and young Lando by Donald Glover. The movie also starred Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) as Han’s childhood friend Qi’ra.
Of course, details on how Lando Calrissian will be written back into the Star Wars saga haven’t yet been revealed, but in 2017’s The Last Jedi, General Leia (Carrie Fisher) ordered the remnants of the Resistance to send a distress call to the Outer Rim in hopes that any remaining allies would hear the call and come to the rescue. This would be a great way to reintroduce the popular character.
Star Wars: Episode IX begins filming later this month.
Next: Keri Russell could join the cast of Star Wars: Episode IX, which gets a new working title
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