I’ve written before about how ridiculous it is to omit Lando Calrissian, played to perfection by Billy Dee Williams, but the shame continues.
Writer-director Rian Johnson confirmed that Star Wars still can’t find a place in the new movies. He didn’t want “fans to get their hopes up” that Williams would have a cameo. “He’s not in the film and it was never really something that came up, Johnson told Entertainment Weekly. “I mean, I loved that character. It would have been fun to see him, but it’s just not something that ever really had a place in the story.”
The Force Awakens cast original members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew. Several of them are returning for this year’s sequel The Last Jedi. Williams himself addressed his disappointment at being omitted from the film. “Yeah, people were pretty upset about it,” Williams told Cinelinx. “But I uh…I may very well…I have a feeling I’m going to show up [in the new movies]. There’s nothing I can really discuss about it at this stage.”
He could have shown up in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in a small cameo. He could have been added to Solo: A Star Wars Story as a flashback scene or even Lando’s father. He’s not going to.
Williams, now 80, is still acting and has said he’d love to appear alongside the original cast members. His manager, Brad Kramer, gave a very gracious statement saying “Billy respects the studio and all involved in the decision but would be happy to be in any future Star Wars film if asked.”
Williams recently provided the voice of Calrissian for the animated Star Wars: Rebels series to high praise.
It’s still possible that Williams could show up in Episode XII but I find the most disturbing part of the interview that they have trouble “finding a place” for the first person of color in the Star Wars universe. Considering the level of diversity the movies are trying to achieve it’s infuriating.
Do you want to see Lando in the Star Wars movies?
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