Star Wars, meet Childish Landino.
We are, of course, referring to Donald Glover’s decision to slip into the cape of Billy Dee Williams, the original Lando Calrissian who smooth-talked his way into our hearts with Empire Strikes Back.
Fast forward to 2018, and Lucasfilm is plotting a whole new movie, aptly titled Solo: A Star Wars Story, that traces Han’s galactic journey from dreamy idealist to wise-cracking smuggler. It’s one that will purportedly unfold across a period of six years, as Ron Howard and Co. document the defining moments of Han Solo’s life – including his first fateful encounter with Lando Calrissian, who’s now being played by Donald Glover.
The actor-comedian-singer extraordinaire is an immense talent, and here, he outlines his own approach to Cloud City’s most famous inhabitant:
I always like seeing younger characters when they are in younger times because it tells a lot about how they got to where they are. Like, when I was a teenager I felt like I knew a lot, but I didn’t. By the time we meet him in Empire Strikes Back, he owns the city already. [Laughs] So, I wanted to show the person he was before that was even possible. Like, I don’t even know if he thought that was possible at the time.
And just as Han Solo can always rely on Chewie, Glover’s Lando has a co-pilot of his own in L3-37, the droid played via motion-capture by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
I think they are both kind of self-made, and they get each other that way. It’s lovingly contentious. I don’t know if me and Phoebe were like this because I just love her. Being in a movie with her is kind of a blessing I didn’t even know I wanted. But she also is so smart she calls me out on it. It’s just cool to have somebody like that around, you know? Really funny and really honest.
Flanked by Alden Ehrenreich as the young Han and Emilia Clarke’s femme fatale, Qi’ra, Donald Glover will be part of the ensemble cast that helps introduce a brand new Star Wars story when Solo hits theaters on May 25th.