Star Wars fans have a lot to be happy about right now. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is now in theaters, and audiences are already piling into the cinemas in droves thanks to its Thursday night opening total of around $29 million. And with both the critical and (guaranteed) commercial success for the first standalone film, all bodes well for the next Star Wars Stories – the next one being an untitled young Han Solo film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (21 Jump Street, The LEGO Movie).
Alden Ehrenreich is set to portray Han Solo, and in the most perfect casting in all of the galaxy, Donald Glover has signed on to play Solo’s old friend Lando Calrissian. The announcement of Glover’s casting sent the internet on fire, and although fan-casting isn’t always the best way to go, Glover’s is a notable exception. Not only will he nail the humor of Lando, but the chance to see him interact with Ehrenreich’s Solo is irresistible.
Glover recently participated in a round table discussion with Jon Favreau (Iron Man and The Jungle Book), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton and Moana), Damien Chazelle (Whiplash and La La Land) and Issa Rae (Insecure) and was asked about his upcoming role as the smoothest smuggler in the galaxy:
“It was the first action figure I ever had. I remember my dad giving it to me. I had a Darth Vader one and this one that I lost the cape and the lightsaber came out of the arm, and I ripped that out. I remember Lando really well. He was like the only black guy in space. And he was the cool one. I just realized, he still has to be cool. And cool is an interesting thing. Cool changes depending on the perspective. Also, it’s fun because [the Han Solo movie is set] before [Empire Strikes Back], so he’s still figuring it out a little bit, which is fun.”
After seeing the first Star Wars Story film in Rogue One, I am even more excited to see what Lord and Miller have in store for the upcoming Han Solo movie. Glover’s “cool” approach to Lando before we meet him in The Empire Strikes Back seems like the right way to go, and I am still over-the-moon that as a fan of his since Community, he is now headed to a galaxy far, far away.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is in theaters now.
Source: THR
