Billy Dee Williams will reprise the role of Lando Calrissian in the next ‘Star Wars’ film

You may not know the name Billy Dee Williams, but chances are your grandmother or even your mother does and the 1970s heartthrob is coming back to his Star Wars home base. Before Donald Glover, Williams was the original actor to play Lando Calrissian and will reprise the role in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Although Glover played the suave and younger Calrissian character in the new movie Solo: A Star Wars Story, fans still hold a soft spot for Williams who really made the role his own. It’s why the Star Wars brass is bringing the original “G” back to the franchise.

We can live with that!

Lando Calrissian is a smug gambler, smuggler and overall purveyor of ill-gotten gains. He had a slim figure, and a million-dollar smile and can go toe-to-toe with Han Solo.

For those who were born before Williams’ tenure in Hollywood, he played Calrissian in the 1980’s Empire Strikes Back and then again in 1983’s Return of the Jedi. And much like the character, Williams was everything the ladies loved about a smooth talking, chocolate brother in outer space and on Earth.  

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Production is scheduled to begin this summer, sources confirmed. Episode IX is being directed by J.J. Abrams and according to reports, the film will reunite Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver, among others. Keri Russell has been added to the cast.

The film is set to open Dec. 20, 2019.

Who is Lando Calrissian?

Star Wars really has a thing for Calrissian who has emerged as one of the more popular characters in the Star Wars series.

Recently, Calrissian’s sexual preference came into question and it was no shock to Glover to learn that the character’s sexual preference was regarded as fluid.

“How can you not be pansexual in space?” said Glover when asked if he knew about Calrissian’s pansexuality while making the film.

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“There are so many things to have sex with. I didn’t think that was that weird. Yeah, he’s coming on to everybody. I mean, yeah, whatever. It just didn’t seem that weird to me ‘cause I feel like if you’re in space it’s kind of like, the door is open! It’s like, no, only guys or girls. No, it’s anything. This thing is literally a blob. Are you a man or a woman? Like, who cares? Have good time out here.”

It will take more than a question about pansexuality to shock Glover who has been dominating the culture scene dropping the acclaimed This is America video.

Glover said he got a chance to pick the brain of Billy Dee and he laid out a blueprint on how to exude Calrissian’s sexuality.

Now Williams will just exude all that smoothness once again on the big screen.

Welcome back, Billy Dee!