Billy Dee Williams on the Han Solo Movie and his Meeting with Donald Glover!
Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian in the Original Trilogy is lending his voice for the character Two-Face in the new The LEGO Batman movie, a character he played in Tim Burton’s Batman feature film from 1989. Promoting his new movie, during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Williams briefly spoke about the new Star Wars movies and shared what happened during his meeting with Donald Glover.
Yesterday we shared with you an interesting photo with Billy Dee Williams having a meeting with Donald Glover, who will play the young Lando Calrissian in the second Star Wars stand alone movie about Han Solo. Here’s what Williams told THR…
From THR:
You recently had lunch with Donald Glover. What’d you talk about?
He’s a very delightful young man, I must say. We had a very nice lunch and we talked for a very long time and it was very easy. He had questions about [Lando]. I guess he was doing what normal actors do, they just want to find out what direction they want to take so they gather their information. So, we just sat and talked and I didn’t want to impose on anything he wanted to do, he’s got his own ideas, I would imagine. I know he has his own ideas. He’s a very talented young man. In fact, I was listening to some of his music [Childish Gambino, Glover’s musical alter-ego] and it’s pretty good stuff.
What type of ideas was he proposing?
Not to any great extent, I think he basically just wanted to see me, meet me, get to know me a little bit and probably figure out a way to use me in developing his character.
He had recently said that he wasn’t “as cool” as you. Did you give him any pointers on being cool?
Well, nobody’s as cool as me. [Laughs] That’s a tough way to go. No, I’m only joking.
You had also recently said that the Star Wars producers should leave the character of Lando alone. Did you change your mind after speaking with Glover?
I don’t know. To me, I guess what it is that I identify so much with Lando. I mean, Lando has been very much a part of my life for over 30 years. When I go out and do conventions and stuff like that, even though people know me from all the other things that I’ve done, certainly [Lando] takes precedence. I just never thought of anybody else being Lando, I just see myself as Lando.
Is that hard, saying goodbye to a character or watching him take on a life after you?
Well, eventually something else has to happen with it. But I’m not saying goodbye to that character. It’s still very much a part of my life. I created that character.
Have you seen any of the recent Star Wars films that have come out?
I saw [The Force Awakens] and it was really good. I really enjoyed it, thoroughly.
Are you going to be making a cameo in the upcoming Han Solo standalone film?
I don’t know. It depends if they ask me to. I wouldn’t mind doing it.
Would you like to do it?
If they asked me, I wouldn’t say no.
Have you talked to Harrison Ford about his thoughts on watching his character played by someone else?
Yeah, this one is about how we established our relationship and the question of the Millennium Falcon. I have not spoken with him, he’s too busy.
Not that we needed any more confirmation but it appears that Billy Dee Williams has just revealed a brief synopsis of the Han Solo movie. Obviously it will be telling the story how Lando and Han established their relationship and how the Millennium Falcon played a part in all this. No surprises here but it’s good to hear it from someone in the know.
For the full interview make sure to go to THR.
Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.
Born on April 24, 1980.
I don’t think it would make sense to have two actors playing lando in the same film, unless it opened with some sabacc game between old han solo and old lando trading war stories and the movie is told in flashback, but that sounds remarkably cheesy. This isn’t Days of Future Past. Just put Billy Dee as Lando in NEW movies (no i won’t let it go lol)
If he had a cameo i dont think it would be as Lando, but someone in the background.
I think he will be in The Last Jedi
We can hope! If he does he is certainly been doing an excellent job keeping it under wraps.
I’d love to see him in E8. But I’ll take him in E9 as well. I want Lando!
As a musician I feel like its important to remind the general listening audience he doesn’t create his own music. I didn’t listen to his stuff until this most recent stuff which was actually good, and even then its music played by studio musicians. He just drops vocals over it. So creative.
*eye roll*
You don’t need to be a musician to tell anyone something like that.
But even then, that’s wrong. He helps create the music and plays on some of the songs. None of which matters.
but then you are a musician. You should know that.
You’re right *eye wink* I didn’t say that you need to be a musician, I just said being a musician which should lead you to believe that because I personally play and write music myself like countless people in the past, present, and future I was coming from a personal place. I don’t think I came off as the leading figure in the area of music.
But if you look into the production of this, the only thing he played was percussion and vocals. The way this album was created was through studio musicians developing the musical ideas aka tell them to play something in the vein of something based off an idea of yours or off of something in the past (which this is kind of really ripped from George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic) and then arrange it how you want. Nothing but respect for him, but when it comes to my idea of a true musician at least with respect to the people I look up to and consider to be pioneers he’s not really there. He’s just another person able to do it because he has the money and not because of the ingenuity and innate creativity and feel of his music. His true ingenuity and innate creativity is seen on the acting side because that is where he really shines. But either way its just my opinion which doesn’t matter.
Though you already said that. So I guess you already know that.
Let me guess. You feel a need to ‘remind the general listening audience’ that MOST pop stars aren’t innovators or ‘your idea of true musicians’ with respect to people you personally look up to. What an absolute TREAT you must be at parties.
Give him a role for ep IX already
Or viii
They’re already in post production on VIII, so I think that’s less possible
Billy Dee is still the coolest dude on the planet.
I read all of those answers in his voice, You just can’t beat how smooth that guy is.
Count Dooku is the coolest dude on the planet
He was the coolest dude in the prequels. Too bad he got so little screen time.
That’s really awesome that those two met and seemed to enjoy each others company. As for billy dee making some cameos, that would be neat, it’s good he threw the offer to lucasfilm
Always figured his health problems had part of the reason why he didn’t do TFA even though he was okay enough to do voice work on Rebels. Now it begs the question why they haven’t asked him yet? Makes a lot more sense having him than having Nein Nunb/Ackbar who didn’t do much to advance the plot. Maybe they are waiting for IX to bring him in but the loss of Carrie Fisher should tell them that they don’t have forever considering he is much older than he really looks.
I always liked him taking Maz’s place since it seems like he would have settled down somewhere like that and would have made more sense for him to have the lightsaber.
thats an interesting point about the lightsaber, especially since we now know he goes back to cloud city.
“Makes a lot more sense having him than having Nein Nunb/Ackbar who didn’t do much to advance the plot.”
Does it? Those were nothing more than cameos, which is quite different than having Lando return. He would need far more to do than Nunb or Ackbar, which is likely why he hasn’t been asked back yet.
Lando’s a great character but is there a place for him in the ST? There’s already a lot of existing characters to process in The Last Jedi. Then, we have the addition of Del Toro, Dern, and Tran. Would a Lando cameo in The Last Jedi or Episode IX supplement the narrative?
Quite possibly, maybe just a mention of his name would suffice?
Agree with you there.
Depends on the context. I mean if you are having a funeral for han it would be odd for him to NOT be there- but if the whole movie takes place in the first Jedi temple then a Lando cameo would be distracting indeed. Personally I hope he shows up since we managed to get the rest of the “big three” and I’d consider him the unofficial fourth member of the core group. However Rey is the focus of the sequel trilogy, so whatever fan service they do, I agree that it should never detract from the new narrative
Don’t get me wrong, I hope we see him, I just can’t see much of a role for him in the grand scheme of things.
It’s great to see the canon Lando and the other guy already being stalked by creepy paparazzi. You’ve taken your first steps into a larger world, Lando II.
The Han Solo movie will be an unmitigated disaster.
No one should play Solo except for Harrison Ford.
And since he’s too old, the character should be retired.
considering that no one else has ever played the role it is impossible to say definitively one way or the other. lets at least see what alden has before we condemn him completely.
I wouldn’t exactly call that a condemnation. He’s pretty much just saying that nobody will play the role quite like Ford, and he’s right. It’s like acknowledging that no matter how many times Chris Pine plays Captain Kirk, he’ll never be as iconic as Bill Shatner.
iconic is one thing, but the issue on the table is whether alden and by extension the film can be good and as of right now we have no way to know. further, i will always think of Sean Connery as the definitive bond but that in way stopped me from enjoying the daniel craig films(the goods at least) and so it will be with han solo.
Who are you kidding? Your butt’ll be there to see it…
Why do people always say that? I, for one, don’t go and see movies just because they have a brand name. There are many franchise movies that I have not seen until home media release (or at all) as a result of just not being engaged with the marketing or idea.
I must admit to having VERY mized feelings about this, and it’s entirely down to the recasting of Ford and BDW. I just feel that no matter how good the picture is in terms of quality it’s going to nonetheless annoy me throughout that I’m not watching Ford.
Yeah, you’re right: Harrison Ford should be playing young Harrison Ford (that’s sarcasm BTW – dude is older than dirt…). There is a precedent here – River Phoenix’ portrayal of a young Indiana Jones was friggin’ MASTERFUL. You just have to be less uptight! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKYWXIAJKNM
I don’t “have” to be anything. I only need to by myself, and I’m sorry if that means fanboy tears for people who can not accept that not everyone thinks like they do.
Of our 2 narratives, yours be the crotchety, tears-prone one, my lad. Do yourself a favor & remove the Redwood from yer’ arse…
Yo do realize the age difference in this precedenc of yours, do you?
*DUH* It’s kinda the POINT! (Seriously? We’re talking about Alden Ehrenrich vs. Harrison Ford…try to stay with us, dude)
Don’t act like you don’t get it dude, you’re smart enough. But okay, you want to explaint it like to a baby, here you go:
River Phoenix – 15-16 years old Jones vs Ford (then 48-49 years old).
Alden Solo 27 vs Ford Solo 33.
If you really, really don’t see anything slightly suspicious here then I don’t know how to explain it to you, and I have two little kids at home so I’m quite experienced in explaining simple things….
I totally agree with you. For example this will be the first Star Wars movie I won’t see in theater. I will see it eventually, I don’t deny that. I will as well see one day Hobbit Battle of the 5 armies. But I am not happy about this movie being made and I’m totally uninterested. The reasons agains were all around the web. And so far when discussed this movie in different sites there were like 75% against and 25% for it. Most fans want Obi-Wan McGregor movie or something with unknown characters or KOTOR time….