With next year’s Star Wars: Episode IX set to bring the Skywalker Saga to a close while offering the late Carrie Fisher’s character a fitting finale, J.J. Abrams’ upcoming sequel could well be the last we see of any of the Original Trilogy’s main players on the big screen, but for actor Billy Dee Williams, the film will also serve as his long-awaited return to the series.
Lucasfilm confirmed the rumors back in July that the final installment in the Sequel Trilogy would feature Lando Calrissian, but so far, we’ve yet to get a glimpse of the character on the set. But while Lando’s significance in the film remains pretty mysterious, a recent report from Making Star Wars at least suggests that he’ll be looking as stylish as ever, with sources indicating that Williams is set to wear one of his patented capes.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who remembers the character’s dashing appearance in the Original Trilogy, or even Donald Glover’s take on the role in this year’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. Save for that odd moment near the end of The Empire Strikes Back where Lando appears to be wearing Han Solo’s clothes, we’ve almost never seen the character without some fabric draped over his back, and Abrams is hardly one to break from nostalgic tradition.
Speaking of returning elements, this same report also alleges a few more details of various callbacks to Abrams’ own The Force Awakens, including the supposed reemergence of both Kylo Ren’s mask and the Knights of Ren. At the same, Making Star Wars has suggested that DJ and the Porgs from The Last Jedi will have little-to-no presence in the movie. If all we’ve heard is true, then Abrams could be trying to offer a film that’s more in line with his original vision for the trilogy, but whatever his intentions are, we’ll see the results when Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.