Billy Dee Williams on whether he’ll be back for Episode VII

With all the signs, including word from George Lucas himself that the Big three, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, coming back for Star Wars: Episode VII that leaves the door open to bring back some other characters like Billy Dee Williams’ Lando Calrissian. Film Buff Online has an interesting report from a friend of theirs who says he talked to Williams briefly at the Monster Mania convention in New Jersey this past weekend. He apparently asked the actor if he would be in the new Star Wars film, and this is was his reply:

“Billy Dee said, he has been asked, but hasn’t decided if he is going to do it or not yet.”

What’s interesting about this is according to Movies.com, Williams showed up at Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle the weekend prior. He was asked a similar question and this was his answer:

“No one can play Lando but me.”

He went on to say at the time that he hadn’t been approached by Disney or Lucasfilm, but he’d be happy to return. It was then reported that one of his reps told the fans in attendance to tweet, send letters and e-mails to Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and everyone else with the power to cast him in the movie. Since ECCC was held the previous weekend to this past weekend’s Monster Mania show it seems as if he was contacted just this past week, if at all.

You might be thinking “What does he have to think about?” But we should remember that Williams will be turning 76 next month and maybe he isn’t feeling up to the stress and rigors of a film shoot.

In the Star Wars Expanded Universe Lando returns to his business ventures and even has a wife and son, though he rejoins the new Galactic Alliance on occasion to lend a hand when the need arises.

I must say it would be fun to see Lando included in the story, at least in a cameo role.