Will We See Lando Calrissian in STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI?

I hate that I have to start with this, considering what the title of this post is. However, for those of you who need a warning, here it is. This post may contain spoilers that will ruin your day. If you are choosing not to learn anything about the upcoming Star Wars film, I know there are a lot of you out there, STOP READING! Spoilers ahead. 

The holiday season is here and the blockbusters are ready to hit us all in the face. The most anticipated movie of the year Star Wars: The Last Jedi is almost here. The world is buzzing with rumors about what this episode will have in store for us. Will Rey join Kylo Ren? Is Luke playing both sides? So on and so forth. I personally don’t want to know. I want to have no preconceived notions of how this movie will play out. The one thing I did hope for was a cameo of one of my favorite Star Wars characters, Lando Calrissian. Well, the small hope that I held in my heart has been dashed. 

The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has confirmed that we will not see Lando in this movie. This is what he said about the subject while talking to EW:

“No, and I don’t want fans to get their hopes up,” writer-director Rian Johnson tells EW. “He’s not in the film and it was never really something that came up. I mean, I loved that character. It would have been fun to see him, but it’s just not something that ever really had a place in the story.”

As disappointing as it is that Lando will not be in the movie, I am glad they didn’t compromise the movie just to get him in there. The Galaxy is a very large place and you know that he isn’t sitting still. The old gambler is always on the move. Maybe we will see him in Episode IX.