Han Solo and Chewbacca won’t be the only familiar faces when the “Young Han Solo” Star Wars spinoff hits theaters. After a lengthy casting search to find their leading man, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller finally settled on up-and-comer Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!) to take the ambitious role. But now, with filming set to begin in January or February of 2017, the casting process is turning to the rest of the ensemble, and it appears that Han isn’t the only iconic character who'll be popping up in the film.
Per The Wrap, casting is underway for a young Lando Calrissian. The character was, of course, first played by Billy Dee Williams in The Empire Strikes Back, surfacing as a character from Han Solo’s past who offers Han and his new buddies refuge, only to double cross them for Darth Vader. Calrissian eventually redeemed himself and was revealed to be a bit of a rogue in the vein of Han Solo, fighting alongside the good guys in Return of the Jedi. The character has popped up here and there in further expansions of the Star Wars franchise via Star Wars Rebels and the like, but this will be a major new live-action iteration.
Lord and Miller have at least some experience with Lando, having enlisted Williams to provide a voice cameo in The LEGO Movie as his iconic Star Wars character. It’s unclear how big of a role Lando will play in the story of this new Han Solo adventure, but it’ll be interesting to see what revelations may come to light about the duo’s relationship.
The story and script for this Han Solo picture originated with screnwriters Lawrence Kasdan (The Force Awakens) and his son, Jon Kasdan, but at Star Wars Celebration this summer, Lord and Miller said they’re still fine-tuning the script at this juncture so the specifics of the story may still be evolving.
And now, let the casting rumors begin. Who should play Lando Calrissian? Is there a young actor out there who embodies the smooth swagger of Williams? Should they go with a newcomer? According to BMD, sources are saying that the first choice on the list would be Donald Glover, the comedic breakout from Community who recently scored supporting roles in The Martian and the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Is Glover the right fit for the role? Who else should be in contention? Sound off in the comments below. The untitled Han Solo film opens in theaters on May 25, 2018.
