Emilia Clarke says she hasn’t been contacted about appearing as Qi’ra in the Disney+ Star Wars series, Lando. Best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, Clarke first appeared as Qi’ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). The prequel follows a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) as he meets the likes of Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover)—the then owner of the illustrious Millennium Falcon—during the early days of the Galactic Civil War.
Before joining the Imperial Navy and defecting to live as a smuggler, Han and his first love, Oi’ra, were Corellian street rats. Solo begins with Han being forced to flee the planet without Qi’ra, the former promising to get a ship and come back for her. When the pair reunite three years later, Qi’ra has become a jaded lieutenant in the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. Instead of running away with Han, Oi’ra ultimately chooses to take control of the organization under Darth Maul. While Solo may not have done well at the box office, there are plenty of people that want a sequel. Currently, a Lando spinoff series from Justin Simien (Dear White People) is in development with Glover—which leads many to wonder if we’ll be seeing more of characters like Clarke’s Qi’ra.
During an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Josh Horowitz spoke to Clarke about the unexpected following Solo has garnered since its release. Clarke expressed love for her character, cast mates, and film’s story before accrediting its lackluster box office performance to all the gossip surrounding its production. Clarke was then asked if Qi’ra could potentially return for the Lando. Check out what she said below:
I’ve heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. But a ‘Lando’ show makes so much sense, give that man his own show! Yes!
One of the most acclaimed aspects of Solo was Glover’s Lando. Much like Ehrenreich following in the footsteps of Harrison Ford, Glover shouldered the weight of taking on Billy Dee Williams’ iconic conman. Unfortunately, while Glover was able to step out from Williams’ shadow, Ehrenreich was not, and the subsequent scrutiny didn’t do the film any favors. Those unwarranted criticisms have since subsided, and fans want more from all of Solo’s characters, including Qi’ra, whose fate was left open-ended. Before the release Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, fans even theorized/hoped that Qi’ra would be incorporated into Rey’s parentage.
Given the fact that the Lando is already in development, it would make sense if Clarke had been contacted. That said, either she’s lying—something she’s become good at regarding Game of Thrones spoilers—or genuinely isn’t involved in the series. Clarke will be working with Disney for the foreseeable future, as she will be appearing in Marvel’s upcoming Secret Invasion series. Depending upon how Lando ties into the Star Wars universe, Clarke's live-action Qi’ra could show up down the line. The character has already returned in the comic book series Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters. Whether or not a Solo sequel ever happens remains to be seen.
Source: Happy Sad Confused