/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55775317/lando-calrissian-and-harrison-ford-han-solo-in-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back-1645431026.0.0.jpg)
Ron Howard may have just posted the first photo of young Lando Calrissian on Instagram, ending a weeklong series of teases for the character.
While Polygon has not confirmed that the most recent image Howard posted on Instagram is of actor Donald Glover as a young Calrissian, there are a number of clues that make us believe it probably is. Polygon has reached out to Lucasfilm for confirmation and will update when we receive more information.
Again, this isn’t the first time that Howard has not-so-subtly teased the character. Last week, Howard posted this photo, which proudly displayed an assortment of whimsical, vibrant robes. Although Howard didn’t specify who they belonged to in the movie, there’s really only one person in the Star Wars universe cool enough to pull off any of the looks seen below. People immediately assumed these belonged to Calrissian.
Just before then, Howard had tweeted out a photo of the same wardrobe from a different angle, giving us a very important clue in figuring out if the supposed photo of Calrissian at the top of the article is in fact him.
As you can see, there’s a yellow robe hidden just behind the first jacket. There’s nothing on the sleeves — it’s just a solid yellow coloring. The same yellow coloring, it should be mentioned, can be seen in Howard’s newest photo. We suspect this is a jumper that he’ll wear, based on a close-up of the actor in today’s shot.
can you guess whose closet this is? #UntitledHanSoloMovie pic.twitter.com/1gB17Rt1vN
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) July 11, 2017
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8874739/lando_crop_2.jpg)
This isn’t the only circumstantial evidence that we have leading us to believe this is a photo of Calrissian. In another close-up, seen below, we get to see some of the detailing for the interior or the ship. Notice the panel to the left of him? That’s clearly a panel from the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8874733/lando_crop_1.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8874649/Millennium_Falcon_Cockpit_2.jpg)
We all know that Han Solo won the Falcon from Calrissian, who lost the ship in a game of sabacc, a card game often played in the galaxy. Since the untitled Han Solo movie takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, it stands to reason that Calrissian would still own the ship or, at the very least, would have recently lost it to Solo.
Howard’s posts come just weeks after Lucasfilm confirmed that former directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were stepping down. Since Howard was appointed as the new director, he’s been busy teasing different aspects of the movie — including this lovely, behind-the-scenes shot of Chewbacca.
With all of that information, we believe that this is probably a shot of Calrissian in action, but again, we can’t say for sure until we hear back from Lucasfilm.
The untitled Han Solo movie will be released on May 25, 2018.
Update: Today, Ron Howard shared a new photo from the set that seems to include a new shot at Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian piloting the Falcon and shooting through hyperspace. The actor, who we’re assuming to be Glover’s Calrissian, can be glimpsed on the monitor to the left in front of Howard.
Hyperspace is real. My first experience. Wow. pic.twitter.com/POilRi5ePX
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) July 19, 2017
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8877851/lando_big.jpg)
Here’s a blurrier, zoomed in shot that displays the possible Lando wearing the same yellow outfit as in the photo Howard shared last night.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8877811/glove.png)