Lando Calrissian Almost Returned in The Force Awakens

The end of the Skywalker Saga is drawing nearer with the coming of The Rise of Skywalker and with it comes the return of a familiar face: Lando Calrissian. Interestingly enough, however, the rebel hero was meant to appear much earlier in the sequel trilogy's pilot film The Force Awakens.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, director J.J. Abrams opened up about wanting to include Billy Dee Williams' character in the 2015 film but somehow could not find a way to fit him in. "Having Lando back in Star Wars is something that [co-writer] Larry Kasdan and I wanted to do in The Force Awakens, just as much as I wanted to have Luke training Rey," he said in the interview. "I was so excited about things that we just realized we could never, ever get to."

Williams had initially been unsure about the former Baron Administrator of Cloud City's return because of the film's initially pitched director Colin Trevorrow's vision of the film, but once Abrams had been called back to helm the film instead, the actor was more than happy to reprise his role.

During an interview at The Rise of Skywalker global press conference yesterday, the actor said, "I didn't think that it would happen. I just wrote it off, you know? And I said, ‘Well, I did what I had to do, and that was it." He further went on to say that his comeback has made him "a very, very happy human being." (via ScreenRant).

Lando Calrissian last made an appearance as a young man portrayed by Donald Glover in Solo: A Star Wars Story, in addition to several other extended universe materials but this will be the first time Williams himself will be reprising the role and will finally show fans what the former hustler has been up to following the downfall of the Galactic Empire. And with the loss of Luke Skywalker and his dear friend Han Solo, we can only imagine how emotional this final film with Lando will be.

The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20.

Read: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Lando Calrissian's Full Name Revealed