Two years ago, Disney released the first box office bomb in the Star Wars saga. After a troubled production, Solo: A Star Wars Story didn’t make nearly enough money for the studio to profit from it, and forced the Mouse House to rethink its entire strategy involving George Lucas’ space opera franchise.
It was clear that fans were unwilling to accept somebody other than Harrison Ford in the role of Han Solo, but they warmed to Donald Glover’s performance as a young Lando Calrissian — so much so that there’s hope that he’ll recover from Solo’s failure and return in a future project.
Glover Should Return: He Was The Best Part Of Solo
Since the painfully obvious reshoots of Solo resulted in a movie that looks like it was stitched together from two completely different movies, being the best thing in that movie was a pretty low bar to clear.
Still, Donald Glover’s take on Lando Calrissian was the best part of Solo. From dictating his memoir The Calrissian Chronicles to cheating at sabacc, Lando stole every scene he was in.
How It Can Happen: Solo 2
It’s rare that a Hollywood studio will invest a lot of money in a sequel to a movie that bombed at the box office because they’re virtually guaranteed to lose on that investment. But some of the few Star Wars fans who went to see Solo want to see a sequel.
Thanks to Disney+, the studio doesn’t have to make as big of an investment on a sequel as they did on the original, and it would be a great excuse to bring back Donald Glover’s young Lando.
Glover Should Return: He’s Perfect For The Role
While Alden Ehrenreich’s portrayal of Han Solo came off as a Harrison Ford impression, imitating an actor who was much better-suited to the part, Donald Glover was perfect for the role of Lando.
He perfectly recreated Billy Dee Williams’ speech patterns without just copying his performance. Glover’s Lando was as great a portrait of a well-established Star Wars icon as Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan.
How It Can Happen: A Spin-Off Movie
Due to the financial failure of Solo, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo again. Audiences aren’t invested and Glover’s Lando stole the spotlight from him.
Disney doesn’t need to make a sequel to Solo to have an excuse to bring back Lando. They can just cut out the middleman and give Lando his own movie.
Glover Should Return: A Lot Of Lando’s Backstory Remains Unexplored
In the original trilogy, Lando is introduced working in Cloud City, eventually joining the Rebels and becoming a key figure in the New Republic. All we really learned about Lando from Solo was how Han conned him out of the Millennium Falcon.
There are huge stretches of Lando’s backstory that remain unexplored (at least in the movies), so there’s a ton of story material to cover with Glover’s take on the character.
How It Can Happen: A Disney+ Series
Although Solo proved that audiences won’t always turn up in droves based on the Star Wars brand alone, The Mandalorian has proved that Disney+ is the perfect place to tell serialized stories set in a galaxy far, far away.
With a lower risk, Disney executives could give creative control to Donald Glover and his brother and regular collaborator Stephen Glover to come up with a Lando-focused spin-off series.
Glover Should Return: Lando Is An Underrated Character
Because he arrived late to the party, Lando isn’t quite as beloved as characters like Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie, but he’s just as iconic and interesting as all of them.
As it stands, Lando is massively underrated among the Star Wars fanbase. If Glover returns to the role, he’ll be able to change that.
How It Can Happen: A Supporting Role In Another Anthology Movie
Since the box office failure of Solo, Disney has put a stop to the “Anthology” spin-off movies, but there’s a strong chance that the Mouse House will eventually resume the annual milking of their $4 billion cash cow.
Like Darth Vader in Rogue One, Lando can appear in a supporting role as fan service in one of these movies — more than a cameo, but not necessarily a leading role that will distract from a new hero.
Glover Should Return: He’s One Of The Most Exciting Creatives Working Today
Donald Glover is one of the most exciting creatives working today. From his movies to his music to his TV show to his comedy, everything Glover touches turns to gold.
The Star Wars franchise has a major asset if it keeps Glover around, but if he’s never utilized beyond Solo, then he’s been seriously squandered.
How It Can Happen: The Mandalorian
It seems that starting with the second season, The Mandalorian is being used as the Star Wars universe’s vehicle to bring back fan-favorite characters. It’s been confirmed that season 2 will feature Ahsoka Tano and Boba Fett; season 3 could feature Lando working with the New Republic.
Technically, The Mandalorian takes place after Return of the Jedi, so it’s set when Lando looked like Billy Dee Williams, but Glover is accepted enough in the role that this shouldn’t be a problem.
