Posted in: Disney+, Movies, Star Wars, Star Wars, TV | Tagged: donald glover, Justin Simien, lando, solo: a star wars story

Lando: Justin Simien Opens Up About Shelved "Star Wars" Spinoff Series

Justin Simien reflects on what could have been with his now-shelved "Star Wars" series Lando series and how he's been processing the loss.

The fanfare for live-action Star Wars isn't what it once was. Disney and Lucasfilm had plans for several development projects, as they did for their Marvel universe. Unfortunately, the underwhelming reception at the box office hit the brakes at the time on the franchise's expansion momentum considerably. The last theatrical film of Star Wars was 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, the final of the Skywalker Saga. Several announced films from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Dave Filoni, James Mangold, Taika Waititi, Patty Jenkins, Shawn Levy, and Rian Johnson remain under development, some for years, with the only official film with a date is The Mandalorian & Grogu set for 2026. The Solo (2018) spinoff Lando, initially a series, is now a movie with showrunner Justin Simien out and writers Donald Glover (who also stars) and Stephen Glover taking over the project. While promoting his docuseries Hollywood Black, Simien spoke with Collider about what they had on hand before the creative change.

Justin Simien on What Could Have Been with 'Lando' Series

"It was pretty developed. Yeah, there was a Bible, there was concept art, there were scripts, but it just wasn't meant to be," Simien said before admitting. "I get over it. I'm in therapy a lot." It's understandable seeing how much things have slowed down on the theatrical side of Star Wars with the live-action momentum almost exclusive to the TV side on Disney+ with shows like The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and Andor seeing additional seasons and first seasons of The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Acolyte, and the upcoming Skeleton Crew set for release in December.

"For me, it has to be done pretty straight on like, 'I am in grief. I do not feel good.' I have to let myself feel those feelings," Simien said. "There's so much that I experience that I get to keep forever and take into the next project. I can't obviously take the storyline or the IP or the characters, but there's so much more that I got as a maker, and that's mine. Sorry, it's too late; you can't take that part back."

In Lando, Glover reprises his role as the title character from his debut in Solo, starred Alden Ehrenreich as the former imperial officer-turned-mercenary-smuggler Han Solo, originally played by Harrison Ford in 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope. Lando Calrissian was introduced in the 1980's The Empire Strikes Back with Billy Dee Williams in the role. For more, including how Simien reflects on his time in other IPs like Star Trek and counting his blessings, you can check out the entire interview.

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