Justin Simien has nothing but well wishes for Donald Glover and Stephen Glover, the writing duo who replaced him on “Lando,” Disney+’s upcoming “Star Wars” series focused on Lando Calrissian.
“Donald is a national treasure. Glad he and Stephen get to carry the character forward their way,” Simien wrote in an Instagram story Thursday night. “Can’t wait to see. Rooting for everybody Black.”
Here’s how it looked:
Simien was originally tapped to develop the story for the show, but the “Dear White People” creator exited last year in order to direct on another Disney project, “The Haunted Mansion,” which hits theaters this week.
As first reported by Above the Line, Glover was approached to write the series after Simien’s exit, deals were made months before the double strike that has brought Hollywood to a virtual standstill.
Simien also revealed on Instagram that he didn’t find out about the Glovers’ deal to write the series until it was reported Thursday.
“Lando,” first announced in December 2020, will focus on the version of the character portrayed by Glover in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Plot details haven’t been revealed, but “Solo” took place about 10 years before the events of the original “Star Wars.” It’s been five years since that film hit theaters, so assuming the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are resolved sooner than later, presumably “Lando” will depict events concurrent with prequel shows like “Andor,” as opposed to “The Mandalorian,” which takes place about five years after “Return of the Jedi.
Donald and Stephen Glover are frequent collaborators, most recently writing on the Emmy-nominated limited series “Swarm,” starring Dominique Fishback at Prime Video. Both Glovers are represented by WME.
