Lawrence Kasdan Confirms No Lando in 'The Force Awakens', Hints at Future for the Character

By: Dominic Jones

Ever since the original cast announcement for Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, fans have been wondering why Billy Dee Williams was not included as Lando, and if we'd be seeing him in the film.  The Force Awakens co-writer Lawrence Kasdan recently spoke with Vanity Fair and the Lando question was raised.  Unfortunately Kasdan did confirm that Lando won't be in the film, but he suggested that there was more Lando stories in the future.  Kasdan said,

"Right now, there’s no Lando Calrissian in this movie. But Lando I don’t think is finished in any way, shape, or form."

Many have speculated that Lando may appear in Episode VIII, mimicking how Lando was introduced in the second film of the Original trilogy, by waiting until the second film of the sequel trilogy to bring Lando back.   It definitely sounds like that's a possibility, but keep in mind Kasdan is over seeing a lot more in Star Wars than just The Force Awakens and he could be referring to Lando's recent appearance in the Season One episode of Star Wars Rebels, "Idiot's Array."  And it has also been confirmed that Lando will be returning in Season Two of Rebels, so Kasdan could be referring to that.

Source: Vanity Fair

 

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Watch: 'The Clone Wars' Panels From Celebration Anaheim

By: Dominic Jones

Today has been a good day for Star Wars: The Clone Wars fans.  Not only did we see the release of the 'Bad Batch Arc' Story Reels, but also the release of two the panels from Star Wars Celebration about The Clone Wars.  Lucasfilm released both "The Untold Clone Wars" panel featuring Dave Filoni (Supervising Director) and Pablo Hidalgo (Lucasfilm Story Group member) from Thursday, and the Q&A following the "Bad Batch Arc" screening (just make sure you watch the arc first), which featured Filoni with actor Dee Bradley Baker (all the Clones), and writers Brent Friedman and Matt Michnovetz that took place on Friday.  Both panels were hosted by David Collins.

The Untold Clone Wars panel,

The 'Bad Batch Arc' Q&A,

These were phenomenal panels to see in person and I'm very happy that Lucasfilm has released them so that everyone can see them.  Hopefully Lucasfilm continues to have panels celebrating The Clone Wars at future Star Wars Celebrations!

Source: Star Wars (YouTube)

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Billy Dee Williams, Dee Bradley Baker & Others Confirmed For Celebration Anaheim

By: Benjamin Hart

More and more guests for Star Wars Celebration Anaheim are being revealed as of late! From Ewoks to Clone Troopers to scoundrels, the celebrity visitors come from every corner of the Galaxy far, far away. The official Celebration site and Official Pix have unveiled an impressive new list of guest who will be in attendance, including Lando Calrissian himself, Billy Dee Williams, who will be signing autographs with Official Pix. Also signing will be John Ratzenberger(Bren Derlin), Margo Apostolos(Tokkat the Ewok), Debbie Carrington(Romba the Ewok), Lorne Peterson(model maker & visual effects artist), Steve Gawley(model maker & model shop supervisor), Kirk Thatcher(Creature Shop Technician), Kevin Thompson(Catapult Ewok). You will be able to find them all in the Celebration autograph hall.

Also in attendance will be the none other than the voice of every single Clone Trooper in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Dee Bradley Baker!

Star Wars Celebration Anaheim will take place April 16th - 19th in Anaheim, California! Get your tickets here now!

Sources: Star Wars Celebration, Official Pix

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Rumor: Billy Dee Williams to Have Cameo as Lando in Episode VIII

By: Dominic Jones

Ever since he was not part of the casting announcement fans have been wondering if and when we'll be seeing Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian in the sequel trilogy.  It seems to be all but certain that he won't be in The Force Awakens, but that doesn't mean he can't be in Episode VIII.  A new report from The Sun newspaper in The UK says that he will be making, "a fun cameo" in the Rian Johnson directed Episode VIII.  They also report that Billy Dee is "definitely up for it."

We should point out that The Sun's reputation is dubious at best and everything they report should be taken with a huge grain of salt.  That being said, I also wouldn't be surprised if Billy Dee does show up in a later film in the sequel trilogy.

As always this is just a rumor until confirmed or denied by Lucasfilm or Disney.

Source: ComicBook.com

 

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Billy Dee Williams on the Sequel Trilogy: "I Can’t Imagine Them Not Bringing Lando Back"

By: Dominic Jones

When the cast for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens was announced, many were surprised to see that Billy Dee Williams was not among them.  Since then, all indications suggest that Lando Calrissian will be nowhere to be found in the new film.  However, Billy Dee believes there is still hope for more Lando in the sequel era.  Billy Dee recently chatted with Cinelinx about his appearance as Lando on the animated series Star Wars Rebels and naturally the topic of the sequels was brought up.  Here's what Billy had to say,

Cinelinx: So I have to ask, were you ever approached to appear in the new movie?  I remember when the first cast list was revealed with that photo, people weren’t happy that you were absent from it. 

Billy Dee Williams: Yeah, people were pretty upset about it.  But I uh...I may very well...I have a feeling I’m going to show up. [Note: from the context Billy Dee Williams is talking about the sequel Trilogy in general and not just The Force Awakens] There’s nothing I can really discuss about it at this stage.

People think of me as the original cast, but I didn’t come in until the second movie.  I did Empire and then I did Return of the Jedi, but I came in after everyone else was introduced...So I think they’re probably proceeding in that way. 

I can’t imagine them not bringing Lando back.  But we’ll see, I don’t know. 

I think it's safe to say most fans hope to see Billy Dee back in the sequels at some point, but for now he did promise that we would be seeing more of Lando on Star Wars Rebels.

Source: Cinelix

 

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Billy Dee Confirms There Are "More Adventures with Lando Coming Up" on Star Wars Rebels

By: Dominic Jones

Everyone was thrilled to hear that Lando Calrissian was going to appear on Star Wars Rebels in the episode "Idiot's Array' from a few weeks ago.  Now it seems we'll be seeing a lot more of the smooth talking "entrepreneur."  So says Lando himself, Billy Dee Williams.  Billy Dee spoke with Cinelinx recently about the series and he confirmed that this was just the first of many appearances for Lando on the series.  Billy Dee said, "Yeah!  There's more adventures with Lando coming up."

Although I didn't care for "Idiot's Array" I think Billy Dee did a phenomenal job in reprising his role from the classic trilogy and look forward to hearing more from him (just no puffer pigs or Azmorigan, please).  Maybe we'll finally get to see his little maneuver at the battle of Teneb.

Source: Cinelinx

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Confirmed: Billy Dee Williams To Return As Lando In 'Rebels'

By: Benjamin Hart

Hello, what have we here?

The coolest guy in the Galaxy has been surprisingly absent from Star Wars for some time now, especially from The Force Awakens, leaving fans wondering when we'll get to see him again. Well wonder no longer, Entertainment Weekly just confirmed that Lando Calrissian, voiced by none other than Billy Dee Williams, will be appearing in the upcoming Star Wars Rebels episode "Idiot's Array". They released an awesome video featuring Billy Dee and the Rebels crew discussing Lando's return, which you can watch here! Also included was a description of the episode;

"In the episode, Zeb loses the droid Chopper to Calrissian in a game of cards, and the crew of the Ghost agrees to help him make a dangerous run to get their astromech back. But when Lando plots a scheme to trade Hera for secret cargo, “the crew gets far more than it bargained for.”"

Rebels takes place approximately 4 years prior to A New Hope, which means this will be Lando's first chronological appearance in Star Wars canon. Executive Producer Dave Filoni says that Lando is, " still working on all of his moves, all of his strategies,” And Billy Dee Williams adds that this is, "a real good introduction to who he is [and] all the things you've heard about him."

"Idiot's Array" is set to premiere Monday, January 19th at 9pm ET/PT on Disney XD. If you're a Disney XD subscriber you can watch the episode right now by clicking here!

Source: EW

Update: You can now watch the the video on YouTube!

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Billy Dee Williams Confirms His Involvement In 'Star Wars Rebels'

By: Benjamin Hart

Will Lando Calrissian appear in the upcoming Star Wars Rebels animated series? It certainly appears that way now that Lando himself, Billy Dee Williams, has confirmed that he is working on Rebels! This news comes from Disney's Star Wars Weekends which Billy Dee attended. Apparently, during an interview with Weekends host James Arnold Taylor, he spilled the beans on his involvement with the show. The WolfPack Podcast reports:

"Billy Dee Williams confirms involvement in Stars Wars Rebels!... he said he was enjoying working on SW: Rebels which [James Arnold Taylor] then confirmed."

Last year at Rhode Island Comic Con Billy Dee made some comments that suggested he was working on the series. It's good to hear him finally confirm it. Now, Rebels takes place approximately five years prior to Episode IV: A New Hope. Will he be voicing a young Lando, possibly still in possession of the Millennium Falcon, or a completely new character? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below on Facebook & Twitter.

Source: The WolfPack Podcast
Via: Star Wars Rebels(Facebook)

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Billy Dee Williams To Take Part in 'Dancing With the Stars'

By: Dominic Jones

Who knew Lando was such good dancer?  ABC announced the cast of the upcoming 18th season of Dancing With Stars today and one of the competitors is non-other than Lando Calrissian himself, Billy Dee Williams.  Billy Dee will be partnered with dancer Emma Slater.   Other competitors for season 18 include comedian Drew Carey and former NHL hockey player Seas Avery.  The season premiers on March 17th at 8:00 pm EST on ABC.  Tune in to see if the Force is with Billy Dee's dancing skills!

Source: ABC

You can follow Dominic on Twitter: @DominicJ25

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Billy Dee Williams on Episode VII: "I Haven't Heard Anything"

By: Dominic Jones

With the latest rumors about the, recently completed, Episode VII script indicating the story will focus on the characters of the original trilogy many have been wondering if that includes Lando Calrissian. Lando actor, Billy Dee Williams was asked that very question at the recent Wizard World Portland Comic Con and he replied,

"I haven't heard anything. No midnight calls yet. Sure, I'd be interested in playing Lando again, if it came my way. Sure."

This seems to be par for the course for Billy Dee, who has expressed interest since the beginning and is the only one of the main original trilogy actors to have never even hinted at being involved. That being said, I think it's safe to say most Star Wars fans would be open to seeing Lando again.

Source: Blastr

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Rumor: Billy Dee Williams Involved In Star Wars Rebels

By: Benjamin Hart

It's always refreshing to get rumors about something other than Episode VII. Here we have one about the upcoming animated series Star Wars Rebels. It comes from Jedi Council Forums member "IG-2000", via MakingStarWars.net, who claims to have attended Billy Dee Williams panel at Rhode Island Comic Con and noticed something interesting:

"I attended Rhode Island Comic Con today. Billy was charming and funny as usual but he didn't seem too on point and rambled occasionally, and at one point rambled on about something, the only thing I caught out of it was "Rebels... oh wait I'm not supposed to talk about that am I?""

Our friends at RebelForce Radio also got word from another attendee who confirmed a similar experience.

Rebels takes place about 5 years prior to Episode IV: A New Hope. Of course, the most obvious choice for a character for him to voice would be Lando Calrissian. Could Billy Dee play a younger version of himself at this point? Or could he be voicing a completely new character? Billy Dee has continued to be active in the Star Wars franchise recently, continuing to voice Lando, and other characters, in Robot Chicken and the Lego Star Wars TV specials. No doubt he would jump at the chance to be a part of the Rebels cast if asked.

As always, nothing is official until we get an announcement from Lucasfilm. File this as a rumor in the meantime.

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