Star Wars 9 will feature the return of yet another iconic character, according to rumours
Luke, Leia, Han... who's next?
If there’s one stick we could beat Star Wars Episode 9 (and the rest of the new trilogy) with, it’s the fact that the keep going back to the Original Trilogy well to garner some goodwill. Han, Leia, and Luke have all made returns, overshadowing much of their younger, fresher counterparts and now, according to rumours, another OG Star Wars character is on their way back.
According to fan site Fantha Tracks, who has previous when it comes to dishing out legit Star Wars spoilers and news, is reporting that Billy Dee Williams – AKA Lando – is returning in Star Wars 9. No up-aged Donald Glover here; we’re getting the original version (hopefully) cape and all.
While there are no details on precisely how Lando Calrissian, betrayer-in-chief, will fit into the story, a tie-in novel does give some clues. Star Wars: New Republic Bloodline, set six years before Star Wars: The Force Awakens, sees Leia and Lando on at least speaking terms as he sends a message of support to General Organa after word gets out about her father being, y’know, Darth Vader.
Still, the former Baron Administrator of Cloud City is pretty much MIA. We know how he got started (and lost his ship) in Solo: A Star Wars Story, but a return for Billy Dee Williams, and a return for the character to the Milennium Falcon, would be a pretty neat bookend for Lando.
Even so, there’s the nagging thought that the series is leaning a little too much on its old guard at the risk of establishing the likes of Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren. What do you think? Are you happy to see old faces return, or would you rather Star Wars jettison them completely? Let us know down below!
While Star Wars 9 is 2019-bound, there's plenty to get excited about with the new movies of 2018 on the horizon.
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I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.