Report: Billy Dee Williams Returns As Lando In Episode IX

With reports that Keri Russell is being eyed for J.J. Abrams' Star Wars return with Episode IX, The Hollywood Reporter is, well, reporting that Billy Dee Williams is also signing on for the final movie of the new trilogy.

The gambler Lando Calrissian was first introduced in The Empire Strikes Back as an old compatriot of Han Solo's who lost the Millennium Falcon to Solo in a card game. Calrissian betrayed Solo and his friends to the Empire, but switched back and ended Return of the Jedi as a hero of the rebellion. Calrissian was played by Donald Glover in recent standalone movie Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Episode IX was originally set to be directed by Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow, but he was eventually removed and replaced with The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams. The new movie is set to be released on December 20, 2019.

[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]