A little more than a year ago, it was revealed that there was a behind the scenes shakeup of the “Lando” “Star Wars” spinoff series. Justin Simien, who was at one point the creative lead of the series, was replaced by Donald Glover. Eventually, the idea of turning it into a series was scrapped and “Lando” is now going to be a feature film. We don’t have much more information about it a year later, but Simien has finally broken his silence about his reaction to the news. Let’s just say that it took a toll on the filmmaker.
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Speaking to Collider, Justin Simien talked about the emotional rollercoaster of working on the “Lando” TV series. Specifically, he opened up about what he felt when it was revealed that he would no longer be working on the series.
“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 said. “I get over it. I’m in therapy a lot.”
As the title implies, “Lando” was set to be a series that would follow the adventures of a young Lando Calrissian. This version of the character was last seen in “Solo: A Star Wars Story” played by Donald Glover. And now, as the series is turned into a film project, Glover has creative control, and Simien has departed it.
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“For me, the answer is that you have to really face it. It is true grief,” he added. “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.”
As someone with children, the idea that losing the show is like losing a child is a bit silly. That said, it’s clear Simien has really struggled with the news that he is not going to be the person to bring “Lando” to life. All’s well that ends well, however, as Simien was recently announced as one of the filmmakers going to work on the “Star Trek” TV universe over at Paramount+. Apparently, he’s going from one sci-fi franchise to another. The man loves space.