Movies

Director Justin Simien shares his grief over canceled Lando series

BBG News

As a fan who’s been following Justin Simien‘s journey since his groundbreaking work on Dear White People, it’s disheartening to see him part ways with the Lando project. It feels like losing a beloved friend, not just because of the brilliant ideas he poured into it, but also because of the passion and energy he invested in bringing those ideas to life.

Last year, it came as quite a shock when director Justin Simien parted ways with the Disney+ series “Star Wars: Lando.” Unfortunately, the series was ultimately canceled. However, the project underwent changes and is now being transformed into a film, with Donald Glover and his brother, Stephen Glover at the helm. In an interview on Holly Black’s series via Collider, Simien shared his feelings about having to leave the project.

According to Simien, the response is that one must confront this situation deeply. This is genuine sorrow, and although he’s never experienced losing a child, he imagines it might feel something like that. You invest so much of your heart and soul into something, but you can’t dictate its survival or demise. This experience calls for a genuine grieving process. For Simien, being honest about his feelings is crucial – “I am grieving. I don’t feel well.” He needs to let himself feel these emotions.

It seemed as though the project had already progressed significantly during pre-production. Simien clarified where they stood in the process when the cancellation occurred: “It was quite advanced. Indeed, we had a scripture guide, concept art, and scripts, yet it simply wasn’t destined to happen.”

Simien has retained many concepts from the series, which may not be Star Wars, but they can certainly be adapted in other forms, “The ideas and experiences I’ve gathered from this project will stay with me forever and influence my future work. I can’t reuse the plot or intellectual property or characters, but the broader creative insights I gained are mine and can’t be taken away.”

Though I eagerly anticipate the Lando film following Donald Glover’s outstanding portrayal of the character in Solo: A Star Wars Story, it’s undeniably disheartening for those who poured their hearts into the series to have it suddenly called off. Unfortunately, there was no personal discussion with Simien about this decision; instead, he found out through industry publications when he read the news himself.

It’s quite touching to observe, yet it seems like Simien is making progress as he expresses, “I manage to move on. I attend therapy frequently.”

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2024-08-05 18:21

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