Lando’ Series Was Like Grieving for Justin Simien

The Big Picture

• Despite high anticipation,
  Star Wars: Lando
  series with Donald Glover was shelved, leaving fans disappointed.
• Justin Simien shared the emotional journey of developing the series and coping with its abrupt cancellation.
• Simien emphasizes the importance of processing grief, and finding solace in growth and experiences despite the project’s end.

The much-anticipated Star Wars: Lando series, initially planned for Disney+, was set to bring back Donald Glover as the charming scoundrel Lando Calrissian. However, despite being well into development, the project was shelved, leaving fans and creators alike disappointed. Justin Simien, who was attached to helm the series, recently spoke with Collider’s Christina Radish about the emotional journey of developing the show and coping with its abrupt cancellation, during an interview for his new docuseries Hollywood Black.

When Radish expressed her excitement about the potential series, Simien shared her sentiments. “Same,” he responded, acknowledging the shared enthusiasm. He went on to describe the project’s development stage before it was halted. “It was pretty developed. Yeah, there was a Bible, there was concept art, there were scripts, but it just wasn’t meant to be,” Simien explained. The series had reached a significant level of readiness, but despite the extensive groundwork laid, it was ultimately shelved. Simien candidly discussed the emotional toll of losing such a project. “I get over it. I’m in therapy a lot,” he admitted.

“For me, the answer is that you have to really face it. It is true grief. I’ve never had a child, I’ve never lost a child, but it’s what I imagine that pain might be like. You pour so much of your heart and soul into something, but ultimately, you don’t have control over whether it lives or dies, and it is a true grieving process.”

He further elaborated on his coping mechanisms, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging and processing the loss. “For me, it has to be done pretty straight on like, ‘I am in grief. I do not feel good.’ I have to let myself feel those feelings,” Simien said. Despite the pain, he finds solace in the growth and experiences gained during the development process. “There’s so much that I experience that I get to keep forever and take into the next project. I can’t obviously take the storyline or the IP or the characters, but there’s so much more that I got, as a maker, and that’s mine. Sorry, it’s too late, you can’t take that part back.”

As for how Simien found out about the project’s cancellation, he revealed that there wasn’t a direct conversation. “It became clear. They probably won’t want me to say this, but I knew it was official when I read it in the trades. But the writing was super on the wall,” he recounted.

Justin Simien Wants to Live His Childhood Dreams

Reflecting on his experiences with other IPs, Simien mentioned his work on Star Trek. “With Star Trek, and anything that’s IP that I don’t have direct control over, I just try to remind myself that it really is about the journey,” he said. Simien emphasized the joy of collaboration and living out childhood dreams, even if the final product doesn’t materialize. “If that’s all it ever is, wow, that’s still a childhood dream. I literally grew up watching that show and wishing I could go to space. I’m living that childhood dream right now.”

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on Star Wars as well as Simien’s new Star Trek series with Tawny Newsome. You can stream previous Star Wars projects on Disney+ and Star Trek on Paramount+.

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