Donald Glover has become one of those artists when, if his name is attached, you expect a certain level of quality. From his music to his show Atlanta, to even his new series Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Glover never feels like he’s working for a paycheck. He’s working to be creative and interesting, and because he thinks the end product will be worth it.
Which, frankly, is why it was such a surprise to hear that he and his brother Stephen had taken the reins of a Star Wars movie. The Glovers are currently developing a Lando film which Glover would also star in. It’s news that has rightfully been viewed as very positive. However, since the start of the Disney era, Star Wars movies have almost always (with one specific exception) felt like homogeneous products—the result of all manner of opinions cut and pasted together hoping to find the right balance. In some cases it has worked, in other cases it hasn’t, but in a new interview, Glover says that won’t be happening with his film.
“At this point, I just know when something’s going to be good, because you’re really fighting the industry when you [put your imprint on a franchise as big as Star Wars],” Glover told the Hollywood Reporter. “I feel like I have enough control. And maybe you get painted as a control freak, but it’s like, yeah, control allows for the vision to be singular. And if the vision is singular, people want it more. The less it’s singular, the less people want it because they feel like they could’ve made it. Look, we live in a time where anybody can fucking make anything. You go on TikTok, there’s literally every type of thing. There’s documentaries, there’s puppetry, there’s yarn stop-motion. So why would you want to see something you feel like you could have made?”
He also mentions that he wanted to make this film because he loves the characters but, also, “my kids love Star Wars.”
The idea of Glover having that kind of control over a project as big as Star Wars sure sounds great. But, as we’ve seen in the past, if Lucasfilm isn’t happy with how things are going, it will cut and run. Especially when it comes to artists with more unique voices. So, basically, until the Lando movie is in theaters, we’re a little worried about it actually happening how Glover envisions it. We’re more confident though that, if it does happen that way, that it’ll be great.
Glover’s Lando movie isn’t one of the four officially announced Star Wars movies on the Lucasfilm development slate—so if it gets made, we probably wouldn’t see it until 2028 or something at the earliest. Do you think it’ll happen?
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
