Billy Dee Williams returns as Lando Calrissian for Star Wars: Episode IX, releasing on 20 December, 2019

Los Angeles: Billy Dee Williams, an American actor who rose to fame with his role as Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars film franchise, will be seen reprising the same role for Star Wars: Episode IX. [caption id=“attachment_4706741” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Star Wars: Episode IX. Image from Twitter[/caption] According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources have confirmed that Williams will return to the franchise for the first time since 1983’s Return of the Jedi.  Williams joined the franchise first in 1980 with The Empire Strikes Back and became quite popular among the audience. Along with Williams, Episode IX will feature actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver, actor Keri Russell is the latest addition to the film, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The casting of Williams could perhaps provide an answer to the emotional loose ends that the franchise has grappled with in the past.  The Verge conjectures, “Calrissian could end up serving as an unlikely bit of connective tissue, giving characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac) a tether to the events in the original films — while also responding to the dual loss of Leia and Han in a truly personal way.” Episode IX, being directed by J.J. Abrams, is slated to release on 20 December, 2019.