“Ahsoka” is currently thrilling fans on Disney Plus, but another planned “Star Wars” series is now being turned into a movie. “Lando” directed by and starring Donald Glover. But will “Lando: A Star Wars Story” make it to theaters or Disney+?
In the original trilogy, Lando Calrissian was played by Billy Dee Williams, but in “Solo: A Star Wars Story” Donald Glover then slipped into the role of the charming rogue and cape-wearer. “Solo” received only moderate to solid reviews from fans and the trade press and flopped in theaters, but at least Donald Glover’s performance was met with enthusiasm almost everywhere – so it’s no wonder that a series for Disney+ quickly went into development.
After Justin Simien (“Dear White People”) was originally tasked with the “Lando” series, however, the project seemed to fizzle out – until Donald Glover and his brother Stephen Glover (“Atlanta”) came on board in July 2023 and took over the project. But that’s apparently not the whole story.
Because as Donald Glover first announced in the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out on YouTube and the major US industry magazines have since confirmed, Donald and Stephen Glover are not working on a “Lando” series, but on a “Lando” movie. Currently, however, work on “Star Wars: Lando” is at a standstill due to the ongoing strikes by the screenwriting and acting unions in Hollywood.
Capitan Rex en Star Wars.StarWars Ahsoka pic.twitter.com/TEA2XKY4u1
– Star Wars España (@StarWarsEs) September 15, 2023
AT THE MOVIES – OR AT DISNEY PLUS?
Hayden Christensen’s trademark Anakin spinning swing is absolute perfection whenever I see it ✨ StarWars Ahsoka pic. twitter.com/pmQzwklcJC
– Darth Thunder ⚡ (@XDarthThunderX) September 14, 2023
The question still remains whether the “Lando Calrissian” movie will be developed for theaters or come directly to Disney+. After the failure of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which grossed just shy of $393 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of at least $275 million, it could well be that Disney and Lucasfilm are rather cautious about further “Star Wars” spin-offs for theaters.
On the other hand, while there have been plenty of “Star Wars” original series on Disney+ in recent years – “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” “Andor” and currently “Ahsoka” – there has never been a major live-action film from the galaxy far, far away exclusively for the streaming service. So in a way, that would be an experiment, too, with no clear relationship between effort and return.
After all, “Star Wars” is finally set to return to theaters. And after numerous projects have been announced in recent years, but there has not been a “Star Wars” film in theaters since “Star Wars 9: The Rise of Skywalker” from 2019, another candidate in the race possibly can not hurt. Currently, there are already three titles slated to hit theaters, two of them in 2026 according to the schedule.
“Lando: A Star Wars Story” (or whatever the final title will be) will probably be released after these three titles, since the project is apparently still in its early stages. But whether “Lando” will then come to Disney+ or launch in theaters remains to be seen for now.
