“Atlanta” star Donald Glover has been cast as Lando Calrissian in Lucasfilm’s upcoming “Star Wars” spinoff focusing on a young Han Solo.
TheWrap reported in August that the filmmakers were looking to cast a young Lando, a fan favorite and gambling enthusiast who appeared in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi,” for the film centered around Solo that’s currently in development. Billy Dee Williams played Lando in the original film, and he reprised the role in the “Star Wars Rebels” episodes “Idiot’s Array” and “Siege of Lothal.”
The upcoming and as-yet untitled film is set to take place before the first “Star Wars” film, “A New Hope.”
“Rogue One,” another “Star Wars” spinoff, is also set in that time period and is due to hit theaters in December. The Han Solo movie is scheduled to be released May 25, 2018.
Alden Ehrenreich was announced as young Han Solo at July’s Star Wars Celebration Convention in London.
The Han Solo film is being directed by “Lego Movie” and “Jump Street” team Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
“We’re so lucky to have an artist as talented as Donald join us,” Lord and Miller said in a statement announcing the casting. “These are big shoes to fill, and an even bigger cape, and this one fits him perfectly, which will save us money on alterations. Also, we’d like to publicly apologize to Donald for ruining Comic-Con for him forever.”
Glover is currently the creator and star of the FX show “Atlanta.” He is represented by WME.