Glover, 33, creator and lead star of FX's new dramedy
"Atlanta," will play the role made famous by Billy Dee Williams
in the original "Star Wars" films, 1980's "The Empire Strikes
Back" and 1983's "Return of the Jedi."
The still-untitled film, scheduled for release in May 2018, will
see Calrissian "in his formative years as a scoundrel on the
rise in the galaxy's underworld," Lucasfilm said in a statement
on Starwars.com.
Not much else is known about the plot or other casting of the
film, which will explore a separate part of the "Star Wars"
universe created by George Lucas.
Calrissian, the ruler of Cloud City, famously betrayed Han Solo
and Princess Leia in "The Empire Strikes Back," before redeeming
himself to the Rebel Alliance in "Return of the Jedi."
Glover will join rising star Alden Ehrenreich, who will play the
rogue, lovable space-traveling scoundrel Han Solo, made famous
by Harrison Ford. "Lego Movie" filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris
Miller will direct. Glover also starred in four seasons of NBC's
sitcom "Community" and raps and sings under the pseudonym
Childish Gambino.
The spin-off film is part of Walt Disney Co's expanding "Star
Wars" cinematic slate that was rebooted by last year's
blockbuster hit, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which made more
than $2 billion at the global box office.
Alongside three new installments of the "Star Wars" saga, Disney
is making three stand-alone "Star Wars" films, starting with
December's "Rogue One."
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; editing by Grant McCool)
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