Lando is back! Fans have already caught up with Han, Luke, and Leia in the latest ‘Star Wars’ film series, and now we’ll finally find out what Lando has been up to.
Billy Dee Williams’ suave but shady smuggler returned in the teaser trailer for ‘Episode IX’ which we now know is subtitled ‘The Rise of Skywalker’. Above, he looks thrilled to be back in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. Below is a wider shot, showing him wearing a yellow shirt, similar to the one that Donald Glover wore as a younger Lando in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’.
There is speculation that Lando may not return alone. It’s possible that Naomi Ackie’s new character, Jannah may be Lando’s daughter. This is just a guess at this point, but the fact that the first image of Jannah revealed, showed her in a yellow top and cape.
Lando pretty much always looks polished and debonair, while Jannah has clearly seen some action. At this point, nothing specific about her character has been revealed, so it is unknown how she came to be in the state she is in.
Appearing at a panel moderated by Stephen Colbert, Williams greeted the audience, saying:
“Sweet! Sweet! You’re all so sweet, and there’s an awful lot of you.”
Speaking about stepping back into the role of Lando after decades, Williams said:
“I got lucky. I ended up working with somebody I have a tremendous regard for — J.J. Abrams. I love his name. J.J. Abrams! I’ve been doing this for a long time, I think 60 years, and I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some pretty extraordinary people in my lifetime. I regard this as a real highlight for me.”
“How did I find Lando again? Lando never left me. He’s a shade older, but still fit.”
When Colbert asked about Lando’s nature as neither fully good or evil, specifically in reference to his actions in ‘Empire’, Williams explained:
“There’s a thing called expediency. When you’re in a situation — especially when you’re up against someone like Darth Vader — and you own something that sort of like owning Las Vegas, and you have this threat… I get sick and tired of being accused of betraying Han Solo! He was up against Darth Vader, he had to figure something out! By the way, did anybody die? Nobody died!”
Sadly, that can’t be said of the new films. Will ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ also deliver another massive loss to fandom? Sadly, this is an especially meaningful question, as Carrie Fisher passed away in real life before filming began, although earlier unused footage will allow Leia to make a final appearance.
You can catch Williams and Fisher in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ when it opens on December 20, 2019.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
