Star Wars: Lando Disney+ Series to Reportedly Be Co-Written by Donald Glover

Disney+’s long-gestating Lando series might be becoming a reality. On Thursday, a report from Above the Line revealed that Donald Glover, who portrayed a younger version of the fan-favorite smuggler in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, is now set to write the Lando series alongside his brother Stephen Glover. The Lando series, which was announced during Lucasfilm’s massive presentation at Disney+ Day 2020, was believed by fans to have been shelved or scrapped, as updates had been basically nonexistent ever since. Justin Simien, who directs Disney’s new take on The Haunted Mansion, was previously attached to write the show, and Above the Line claims that he left the project in the summer of 2022. While no other details are revealed, the report indicates that Lucasfilm executives are “eager to move forward” and “excited” by the Glover brothers’ pitch.

“I certainly poured my heart and spent a lot of time working with them to put together a really great show. It feels like everybody loves it,” Simien said in a recent interview with The Direct. “And, you know, I was told we had to put a pause on it because of scheduling, and the next update I got [was in 2020], some years ago. So I don’t know, I have no idea what’s going on with it.”

What Would the Lando Disney+ Series Be About?

A lot of details have remained a mystery about the Lando series, to the point where fans weren’t sure if the show would star Glover or original actor Billy Dee Williams. In 2022, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy indicated that the series’ further development depended on Glover’s schedule.

“You need to ask Donald. He’s the one that holds all the cards here. But there’s no movement,” Kennedy told CinemaBlend of the spinoff at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim. “I will say that honestly. But it’s not for lack of trying. It’s just that he’s a very busy guy. … He’s got another series, and I think one other thing, and then he’ll come our way.”

Will There Be Less Star Wars Disney+ Series?

A number of new Star Wars-related Disney+ shows are arriving in the next couple of years, including Star Wars: Ahsoka, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and Star Wars: The Acolyte. But as some Star Wars and Marvel shows have debuted on the platform to lower viewership and less-positive ratings, Disney CEO Bob Iger hinted that the company might be scaling back on these original streaming projects.

“There have been some disappointments we would have liked some of our more recent releases to perform better,” Iger explained in an interview with CNBC. “It’s reflective not as a problem from a personnel perspective, but I think in our in our zeal to basically grow our content significantly to serve mostly our streaming offerings, we ended up taxing our people way beyond — in terms of their time and their focus — way beyond where they had been… To try and make Disney+ worthwhile, we made decisions that hurt other parts of the business. That’s likely true at least in part, but it’s also something that isn’t unique to Disney. With blockbuster box office hauls depressed across the board, it’s hard not to imagine that part of the problem is that the studios are so eager for a return to “normal” that they haven’t figured out a way to monetize the shorter exclusivity windows and higher overall volume of content creation that have been hallmarks of the streaming era.”

“Marvel’s a great example of that,” Iger continued. “They had not been in the TV business at any significant level. Not only did they increase their movie output, but they ended up making a number of television series, and frankly, it diluted focus and attention. That is, I think, more of the cause than anything.”

What do you think of the latest update surrounding Disney+’s potential Lando series? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!