Donald Glover is officially a young Lando Calrissian!
Lucasfilm announced today that Donald Glover, an acclaimed actor, award-winning writer, and Grammy-nominated artist, will be playing the part of Lando Calrissian in the still-untitled Han Solo Star Wars film, helmed by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Glover will join Alden Ehrenreich — previously cast as Han Solo — in bringing two iconic Star Wars characters back to the big screen, but at a time in their lives previously unexplored. This new film depicts Lando in his formative years as a scoundrel on the rise in the galaxy’s underworld — years before the events involving Han, Leia, and Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and his rise to Rebel hero in Return of the Jedi.
“We’re so lucky to have an artist as talented as Donald join us,” said Lord and Miller. “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 best known for creating and starring in the critically acclaimed FX series Atlanta (which had the highest premiere numbers for any basic cable comedy show since 2013), as well as for starring in four seasons of the show Community, and for his Grammy-nominated album Because the Internet, performed under the name Childish Gambino. In addition, Glover appeared in the Academy Award-nominated The Martian, and will be seen in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The untitled Han Solo movie is set for release in 2018.
Originally Posted by eDave:
I watched it last week on a Delta flight and I thought it was awful. Dialogue and pace ruined it for me.
I was steadily and steadily more annoyed by the movie as it went on. Right off the bat it opens with him racing away from this event that gets explained with some meh dialogue. I don't want to hear the characters talking about it. Show Han Solo being Han Solo. Open with that scene and make it really, really good. Let him be the charming rogue that fucks everyone over and comes out as the only one ahead. Then you don't need so much exposition in the dialogue and the writing can focus more on him being a smart ass when he tells his girl what happens. That feeling followed me through the whole film. That they put the wrong stuff onscreen and glossed over stuff that would have been interesting. Not always, but enough that I think there was a better movie in that story and they missed it. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mennonite:
This is pretty much my feeling about every SW movie since Empire. Would it kill them to hire a top caliber writer?
The man who wrote the screenplays for Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Last Crusade, Silverado, The Big Chill, Return of the Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back isn't a "top caliber writer"?
How would you compare the writing in Solo to what he produced 30 years ago? Where are the memorable lines of dialog? Are there any moments that you will think will become iconic?
Honestly, I actually do think the writing in Solo is better than the rest of the modern SW flicks but that is damning it with faint praise. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mennonite:
How would you compare the writing in Solo to what he produced 30 years ago? Where are the memorable lines of dialog? Are there any moments that you will think will become iconic?
Honestly, I actually do think the writing in Solo is better than the rest of the modern SW flicks but that is damning it with faint praise.
As I've stated repeatedly, it's next to impossible to get anyone of any stature to work on Star Wars films, including Speilberg, Zemeckis, Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton and many, many more. Even Irvin Kershner passed on directing Return of the Jedi because absolutely every aspect of Star Wars films will be criticized endlessly. Who wants to deal with that?
That's the real reason why George sold Lucasfilm: He was tired of being told that everything he did was "wrong".
As for Solo, I didn't have any issue with the dialog. IMO, the direction, cinematography and VFX were all top notch. I thought the casting was outstanding although I did think that Donald Glover's portrayal of Lando was too far over the top. He seemed like he was "acting" whereas Billy Dee is just smooth as silk as Lando, whether it's in the films or the animated series.
Since the release of Solo, Disney has put the kibosh on any further Star Wars films and they're working exclusively to develop more TV series for Disney+.
The movies just aren't worth the time and money at this point in time, making it nearly impossible to please the fans, let alone, hiring the most talented directors in the world. [Reply]
The movies just aren't worth the time and money at this point in time, making it nearly impossible to please the fans, let alone, hiring the most talented directors in the world.
If they hadn't screwed up the ST, this wouldn't be the case. Still, with The Mandalorian, Disney proved they know how to make Star Wars content that is well above the mean.
Of course Lucas screwed up the PT. First movie could have been 10 times better simply by omitting Jar Jar, or at least not introducing what may be the most annoying movie character of all time.
Originally Posted by lawrenceRaider:
If they hadn't screwed up the ST, this wouldn't be the case.
I tend to disagree.
Had Disney/Lucasfilm made the Thrawn Trilogy with new actors, the fans that have supported Lucasfilm and Del Rey since the late 80's would have loved them, while those that didn't follow the EU would have hated the stories and especially, the recasts.
The biggest mistake Lucasfilm has made so far is continuing the Skywalker legacy. Had they created a new series thousands of years before TPM or a thousand years beyond ROTJ, they may have an easier go of it, although there was much more financial risk in such a move.
Originally Posted by lawrenceRaider:
Still, with The Mandalorian, Disney proved they know how to make Star Wars content that is well above the mean.
Meh, I know that a lot of people point to the Mandalorian as being good but I just don't see it. Sure, it's closer to the OT era in terms of feel but the stories aren't exactly groundbreaking or new, as The Clone Wars and Rebels animated series have covered similar themes.
I think the fact that they're not the Skywalker saga, nor do they break with any traditions or negate what's come before them makes them appealing, basically because they're "familiar", without screwing anything up in terms of OT canon.
Originally Posted by lawrenceRaider:
Of course Lucas screwed up the PT. First movie could have been 10 times better simply by omitting Jar Jar, or at least not introducing what may be the most annoying movie character of all time
It's not for a lack of trying. It's been well documented that Lucas asked every A List director and even some B listers to helm TPM but everyone refused. And the main reason why Lucas sold Lucasfilm was because he was tired of being told "You're wrong - that's not right", even though he's the guy that created the universe and can do whatever he sees fit.
If everything I created was viewed as "wrong", I'd quit, too. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
It's not for a lack of trying. It's been well documented that Lucas asked every A List director and even some B listers to helm TPM but everyone refused. And the main reason why Lucas sold Lucasfilm was because he was tired of being told "You're wrong - that's not right", even though he's the guy that created the universe and can do whatever he sees fit.
If everything I created was viewed as "wrong", I'd quit, too.
As Far as I've seen, Lucas surrounded himself with "Yes" men at that time.
When every A list director refuses to direct TPM, that's the time where you should be asking yourself if it's a POS. Seems to me, he was in an ego bubble. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Gadzooks:
As Far as I've seen, Lucas surrounded himself with "Yes" men at that time.
When every A list director refuses to direct TPM, that's the time where you should be asking yourself if it's a POS. Seems to me, he was in an ego bubble.
You missed the point entirely.
Disney dealt with this same exact issue when trying to find a director for Episode VII and asked every A lister in town, to which they all refused. That’s how they ended up with Abrams and RJ.
People with solid careers don’t want to tarnish their reputation or deal with fan backlash because their film didn’t live up to the expectations set by the OT and the SW fan base.
As much as I dislike TLJ, I would never think to constantly bash RJ on Twitter or insult the actors, et al, which is exactly what happened time 10,000,000.
No paycheck is worth that kind of aggravation, especially when you can take on just about any other A List project. [Reply]