Surely, You Belong With Us Here Amongst The Clouds: Lando in Star Wars VII?

It’s been a good couple of weeks since the news broke that Disney purchased Lucasfilm and then announced that they were beginning production on a new Star Wars movie. And in that time, there has been a small amount of concrete news about the new movie: such as the fact that it is being written by Michael Ardnt, the dude who wrote Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3… and not very much else.

Sure, we’ve learned a few things that aren’t happening, such as the fact that, despite working on a film in development for Disney, Brad Bird won’t be directing Star Wars VII. Nor will Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spelberg, or Zack Snyder. We’re reasonably certain that the film will be set after Return of The Jedi, and we’ve heard that Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, at least, wouldn’t be averse to coming back in some capacity or another. So that’s where we are: we know the writer and we think we know the general era in which the story will be set, and there’s at least a chance that the three main characters will be coming back.

So that’s that. Nothing new to report. Nothing we’ve missed or forgotten that we might carry over from the original trilogy?

Oh yeah: there’s that guy who blew up the second Death Star.

Lando Calrissian might be coming back.

Well, maybe.

Moviehole’s Clint Morris reports that he had an email conversation with a source who, until recently, worked with Lucasfilm and could only say that the new movies would include: “Luke, Leia, Han, Lando.”

Which isn’t much, but which is the first concrete inkling that Lando might appear in the the new films… and sadly, is also the first time I even considered whether or not Lando would be in the new flicks. For good or ill, Lando just isn’t that big a part of the original trilogy for me… but now that I consider it, including him opens up a possibly important area of characterization for a good Star Wars film: the rogue. Realistically, after Return of The Jedi, Han Solo, by dint of being hooked up with Leia, will be pretty much stuck hanging around the New Republic. However, unless Lando, at some point, became similarly entangled with Nien Nunb (insert your own “Colt .45: works every time” joke here, pigs), he’s the only one who might still be out there, smuggling and hustling on the fringes. And if you want that kind of character in a Star Wars movie (and having seen the prequels, trust me: you do), Lando is the only member of the old school who make sense.

Unless you count Chewbacca, who would no more like hanging around Coruscant with dignitaries than he would open a flea-dip emporium. He might be out in the galaxy, cutting shady deals and smuggling crap for the Republic… although it would be hard for him to cut the part of the rogue with the heart of gold while tearing the tails off of Hutts. So let’s hope that the Lando rumors have some weight behind them.

(via Moviehole)