Star Wars Has Become Too Serious, Donald Glover Says

The Star Wars series can be, at times, "way too serious," according to actor Donald Glover. Glover played Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story and is coming back to play the character in a new film. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Glover was asked what he wants to incorporate into his new Lando project, and he said, "I just want it to be fun."

Glover said it's understandable that a lot of entertainment these days, including the Star Wars series, is "serious" in nature because of the landscape of the world. But he believes Star Wars can take itself too seriously, and he hopes to change that with his new Lando film.

"As a Star Wars fan myself, I think it's important that there just needs to be fun being had," he said (via IGN). "It's very hard to have fun right now. It's tough because there are very serious things happening and those are the only things that connect us, weirdly. So I get why things are serious, but part of the human experience, I believe, is we have a responsibility to have enjoyment. And I just feel like we're lacking in that department."

"Star Wars, I love it, but sometimes it be super serious. Sometimes it be, like, way too serious," he added. "Everything that has to do with the Skywalkers is like so serious. Lando, I think the best part about him is he's a scoundrel. And I feel like people can relate to that, and he's probably like, 'Man, this war is like whack. I need money,' which I feel everyone can relate to. I want to just bring fun to Star Wars. I just want it to be fun."

Glover was originally planning to make a Lando TV series for Disney+. However, it has now morphed into a feature film that he is writing with his brother, Stephen Glover.

Donald Glover discussed the film earlier this year, saying part of the reason why he signed on was because of the level of control he has been given. He said this level of control allows him to have a "singular" vision for the project.

"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," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "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 f**king 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?"

It is seemingly still early days for the standalone Lando movie, and there is no word yet on a cast (beyond Glover as Lando), a director, or release date. Whatever the case, it's one of multiple new Star Wars films in the works, joining the movie that brings back Daisy Ridley as Rey and another from Logan director James Mangold. The Mandalorian's Dave Filoni is also working on a new Star Wars film, as is Taika Waititi.

The first of these is set for release in May 2026, and it's rumored to be the Rey film from Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. This will be the first new Star Wars film since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker.