There are few franchises quite as popular as Star Wars, with generations of moviegoers brought up on the galaxy far, far away. The nine-film Skywalker Saga ended with J.J. Abrams’ The Rise of Skywalker, which featured the long-awaited return of Billy Dee Williams. It turns out that Episode IX could have given Lando Calriassian an awesome weapon, and we can see the design now.
After being noticeably absent for the first two installments of the sequel trilogy, fans were delighted to see Lando Calrissian finally appear in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, with Billy Dee Williams playing his iconic role. But he could have been even more badass with a sweet wrist-crossbow. Check it out below,
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker may have hit theaters years ago, but the revelations about J.J. Abrams’ blockbuster are still coming. And this concept art for Lando’s abandoned weapon has the potential to inspire some serious FOMO. Now I’m eager to know exactly how he might have acquired his own Mandalorian armor.
The above image comes to us from the Instagram of concept artist Matthew Savage. He’s worked on a number of major blockbusters, helping directors and prop departments to find their visual language. Other credits include The Batman, Rogue One, and the upcoming Halo TV series. Unfortunately, this particular design never made its way to the silver screen.
While Mandalorian culture and armor has become extremely popular thanks to shows on Disney+, Lando getting his own gauntlet would have preceded those streaming successes. But this scrapped weapon is all the more intriguing thanks to The Mandalorian, teasing the many years of Lando’s life which still remain unaccounted for. After all, we’re not sure what happened to Billy Dee Williams’ charming character after Return of the Jedi until he eventually showed up in The Rise of Skywalker.
Lando had fairly limited time in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but he definitely made an impact. After a brief meeting with the trio of heroes in the first act, Lando would once again pilot the Millennium Falcon in the final battle, bringing a cavalry of Resistance ships to take on the First Order. So perhaps we could have seen his sweet crossbow gauntlet used in his first scene on the desert planet of Pasaana.
The ending of The Rise of Skywalker teased that Lando was about to take a new adventure alongside Naomi Ackie’s newcomer Jannah. But it’s unclear if we’ll ever actually get to see this partnership on either the small or silver screens. Additionally, some fans are still hoping that Solo 2 happens, allowing Donald Glover another opportunity to play young Lando. Fans also want to see him reprise his role in the developing Lando TV series.
The Star Wars franchise continues to grow thanks to shows on Disney+, while fans wait for updates about the developing movies. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
