Director Justin Simien Says ‘Lando’ Star Wars Project Not Moving Forward

Justin Simien has confirmed that the highly-anticipated Solo: A Star Wars Story spinoff series, Lando, featuring Donald Glover, will not be moving forward.

The news came to light through Simien’s comments published by Collider on Friday. He discussed the fate of Lando while promoting another project, Hollywood Black, an MGM+ docuseries based on Donald Bogle’s book that explores race and representation in Hollywood.

“It was pretty developed,” Simien explained. “There was a Bible, there was concept art, there were scripts. But it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Simien expressed his disappointment and sense of loss regarding the project. “For me, it has to be done pretty straight on. Like, ‘I am in grief. I do not feel good.’ I have to let myself feel those feelings,” he said. “There’s so much that I experience that I get to keep forever and take into the next project. I can’t obviously take the storyline or the IP or the characters, but there’s so much more that I got, as a maker, and that’s mine. Sorry, it’s too late, you can’t take that part back.”

Lando was initially announced in 2020, with Glover’s portrayal of Lando Calrissian being a standout element in Solo. Simien, known for his successful Netflix series Dear White People, was set to bring his creative touch to the project. Everything seemed aligned for success.

The reasons behind Lando‘s cancellation at Disney+ remain unclear. However, Simien appears to be moving forward with other significant endeavors.

One such project is a live-action Star Trek comedy series starring Tawny Newsome, which was announced at San Diego Comic-Con. The series will focus on “Federation outsiders serving a gleaming resort planet” and discovering that their daily activities are being broadcast across the entire quadrant.

“I literally grew up watching that show and wishing I could go to space,” Simien shared with Collider about his excitement for the Star Trek project. “I’m living that childhood dream right now.”

Hollywood Black is set to premiere on August 11 on MGM+.

Source: Collider