When Star Wars fans reunite with Han Solo in 2018 in his spinoff movie, he won't be the only familiar face they'll see. The young smuggler will be hanging out with his hairy buddy Chewbacca, and earlier today it was reported that casting has begun to find the actor who will play they young Lando Calrissian. We thought it would be a while before hearing about any actors being considered, but evidently not, as Community star Donald Glover is now being named as a prime candidate.
Birth.Movies.Death has heard that Glover is the first choice right now to play Lando in the Han Solo movie. Just to be clear, the actor hasn't met with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller or any other Lucasfilm representatives yet, he's simply who they have their eye on right now. We don't even know yet if Glover is interested in the role, especially if production conflicts with his FX series Atlanta. Still, as noted in the article, despite meeting with hundreds of actors eager to play Han Solo, the production ended up casting Hail, Caesar star Alden Ehrenreich, the first actor they met with. The same could happen with Lando, even if the odds are unlikely...which is appropriate, considering how much Lando likes to gamble.
Assuming Lando was the same age as Billy Dee Williams was during The Empire Strikes Back, that means that the Cloud City administrator was approximately 43 years old, give or take a year. it hasn't been revealed yet exactly when the Han Solo movie takes place, but for now, let's say it's 15 years before Empire, placing Lando at 28. By the time the spinoff started shooting, Donald Glover will be 33, and he could still pass for someone slightly younger. Remember, he was well into his 20s when he started playing the approximately 19-year-old Troy Barnes on Community in 2009.
While primarily a TV performer, Donald Glover has become a rising star on the big screen recently, appearing in Magic Mike XXL, The Martian and next year's Spider-Man: Homecoming. The Han Solo movie would be the next step to boosting his fame even higher. More importantly, though, is that Glover is a multi-faceted actor. He'll play dramatic if he needs to, but he can also call upon his comedy chops to harness Lando Calrissian's smooth and sometimes humorous personality. Regardless, the Lando casting process is still underway, and we'll definitely be hearing about other folks who are in contention, but if you'd like Glover in the role, makes sure to let us know in the comments below.
The Han Solo Anthology movie blasts its way into theaters on May 25, 2018.
