Yahoo Movies Is Billy Dee Williams training for a Lando return in 'Star Wars: Episode 9'?
Ever since Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit cinemas there has been one question on everybody’s lips: “Where’s Lando?”
The legendary character, played by Billy Dee Williams, is one of the only originals not to appear in the new trilogy but that could soon be changing after it was revealed that he has embarked on a new training regime.
The actor appeared at Megacon Orlando over the weekend and during a Q&A the 81-year-old revealed that he is training three times a week, which could mean he’s getting in shape for a Star Wars return.
Fun Billy Dee Williams fact: Billy just had his 81st birthday. He’s training 3 times a week with a trainer and has a whole new diet.
— MegaCon Orlando (@MegaConOrlando) May 25, 2018
The late Carrie Fisher did something similar before her return as Leia Organa and with JJ Abrams set to begin shooting Episode 9 this July it could mean that Billy’s Lando Calrissian is making a comeback.
Many of the Star Wars: The Last Jedi cast and crew had been calling for his return, including director Rian Johnson who nearly put him in the movie.
“Believe me I thought about [bringing Lando back], believe me I did, and it just wouldn’t work,” Johnson tells Yahoo Movies.
“For reasons I can’t really talk about without getting into spoilers, Lando even in the position of any… just specific story reasons that he would not have worked, like in the capacity of the DJ part – Benicio’s part – there’s a reason that had to be a new character and couldn’t just be Lando.”
Donald Glover recently reprised the character in Solo: A Star Wars Story, which is a prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy.
His iteration of the character has been praised, and Lucasfilm has confirmed a solo Lando movie will happen at some point, but fans still want the original Lando to make an appearance too.
There’s certainly a space for him given the death of Fisher, and the onscreen deaths of both Han Solo and Luke Skywalker; this means there’s a space for a nostalgic hero to join the new batch of Star Wars characters leading the charge.
Williams appeared in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi so fingers crossed they won’t be his only Star Wars outings.
Solo: A Star Wars Story is in cinemas now. Star Wars: Episode 9 is in cinemas on December 19, 2019.
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