Star Wars has been a Disney+ franchise for the past handful of years, but Lucasfilm is gearing up for a pivot back to feature films. The Mandalorian & Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter will hit theaters in 2026 and 2027, respectively, and at this year’s Star Wars Celebration Japan, the studio shared that there are several other movies in various stages of development. Nothing has been officially added to the release schedule beyond Starfighter, so there are still a lot of things to sort out regarding Star Wars’ movie future. As fans wait to see what other titles will round out the slate, word is one of the many projects lingering in development could be back on the table.
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According to a report from Daniel Richtman, the Lando movie starring Donald Glover is back in development. Fans may recall that this project was originally conceived as a TV series before it was changed to a movie. Updates have been scarce ever since it was originally announced; a year ago, Glover talked about wanting to make Lando a fun experience.
Will Lando Ever Happen?
Star Wars fans know as well as anyone that a movie reportedly being in development does not necessarily mean it will ever get off the ground. There have been a plethora of Star Wars films announced over the years that never came to fruition (Rian Johnson’s trilogy being just one example), so it’ll be interesting to see what Lando‘s ultimate fate is. Solo: A Star Wars Story, which marked Glover’s debut as a young Lando Calrissian, is infamously the first Star Wars movie to bomb at the box office. However, Glover’s performance was well-received and he quickly became a fan favorite, so there could be interest in seeing him return in some capacity.
There may be questions regarding how something like Lando fits into Lucasfilm’s plans for the franchise. Earlier this year, Kennedy outlined a new movie strategy, seemingly favoring the idea of standalone films that wouldn’t have to connect to everything that’s come before. Obviously, Lando is one of the more notable legacy characters in the Skywalker Saga, but Glover’s Lando movie could still be a relatively self-contained feature about life in the galactic underworld (much like Solo). Kennedy noted that she wants Star Wars to be a sandbox that invites creatives to come in and “tell stories that mean something to them,” so if the talented Glover finds a way to crack an entertaining narrative for Lando, the studio could find a spot for it.
Of course, as we’ve recently learned, interest from Lucasfilm doesn’t guarantee a Star Wars movie is made. While Lucasfilm liked Adam Driver and Steven Soderbergh’s pitch for a Ben Solo movie, Disney nixed the idea. This implies that Disney higher-ups would have to sign off on Lando even if Kennedy enjoyed Glover’s concept. Disney CEO Bob Iger has gone on record in the past to say the Mouse House did “too much, too fast” with Star Wars after the Lucasfilm acquisition. There seems to be a company-wide initiative to scale back output on Disney’s key franchises; new Marvel and Star Wars titles oversaturated the marketplace with content in the wake of Disney+. As much fun as a Lando spinoff movie could be, Disney could decide it doesn’t align with its vision for the franchise. After the disappointment of Solo, there might be more of an emphasis placed on bigger-scale events that have greater potential as theatrical releases than a spinoff focused on one character.
Official plot details for Starfighter remain under wraps, but rumors suggest Lucasfilm has some big things in store. It’s speculated that Jedi elements will play a key role in the film, and some even believe it’s the first installment of a new trilogy. Rumors suggest there could be a notable cameo (seemingly Rey) to help set up a sequel. It remains to be seen if that all pans out, but the takeaway there is Lucasfilm may not be too interested in “smaller” standalone adventures that just tell a fun story in the Star Wars galaxy right now. The studio’s looking to make a big splash bringing Star Wars back to theaters, meaning bigger event films could be the way to go — especially if output is limited.
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