HAUNTED MANSION Director Justin Simien Learned He Had Been Fired From LANDO On Social Media

HAUNTED MANSION Director Justin Simien Learned He Had Been Fired From LANDO On Social Media

There's been another swing and a miss for Lucasfilm when it comes to maintaining a relationship with filmmakers as Lando showrunner Justin Simien reveals he learned of his departure from the show online.

By JoshWilding - Jul 30, 2023 12:07 PM EST
Filed Under: Star Wars
Source: SFFGazette.com

During a Disney Investor Day at the end of 2020, Lucasfilm revealed that Justin Simien would serve as showrunner on a Lando TV series starring Solo: A Star Wars Story's Donald Glover. 

News on the project since then has been pretty much nonexistent, and Glover has frequently danced around the question of whether he's really set to reprise the role in subsequent interviews. As for Simien, he's recently been doing the rounds to promote Disney's Haunted Mansion movie. 

Inevitably, he too has been asked about Lando lately, admitting that he's heard nothing about the series since it was announced. The studio reportedly told him they had to figure out everyone's availability but shortly after those comments started being covered by news sites, we learned Glover and his brother Stephen will instead be writing the show following Simien's exit.

The only issue is, it appears no one told the filmmaker he'd been fired.

As you can see (via SFFGazette.com), Simien learned of the change thanks to social media. While he was quick to share kind words for the Glover brothers, he's clearly disappointed, and this is an appalling way for Lucasfilm to have handled the situation. 

We wouldn't be surprised if Donald and Stephen are no closer to getting Lando on our screens than Simien was. In fact, this may well have just been Lucasfilm's way of attempting to avoid some of the negative headlines the director's comments were generating. 

Kathleen Kennedy's time as Lucasfilm President has been nothing if not rocky, particularly when it comes to maintaining relationships with filmmakers. This, unfortunately, is another example of that. 

Check out Simien's Lando comments below. 

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WhatIfRickJames
WhatIfRickJames - 7/30/2023, 12:03 PM
And I found out about this article via SFF Gazette
tylerzero
tylerzero - 7/30/2023, 12:07 PM
Blergh
Blergh - 7/30/2023, 12:11 PM
Sounds like a guy that got screwed over by big Hollywood,
from the sounds of Kennedy's past comments Glover was a holdout untila deal got reached and I'd assume him writing/directing with his brother was part of the show actually happening.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/30/2023, 12:11 PM
Kathleen Kennedy!
EnergyVamp
EnergyVamp - 7/30/2023, 12:17 PM
The Director of a major Disney flop both financial and critical. Also the director of dear white people...
Maybe getting fired was for the best.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 7/30/2023, 12:18 PM
DocSpock
DocSpock - 7/30/2023, 12:23 PM


The Solo movie was horrible. Both leads were horrible in it.

Glover playing a young Dee Williams is just a travesty & a bad joke. He is good as a TV funny man. I know he also has fans of his terrible rap. But he is not cool enough or suave enough to sniff Williams' crusty old jock.

Let this terrible idea die as it deserves to.



McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/30/2023, 1:16 PM
@DocSpock - I didn't like him as Lando either. He didn't pull it off.
Gizmoduck
Gizmoduck - 7/30/2023, 1:26 PM
@DocSpock - Solo was OK, the lead wasnt great but the story was good and honestly im ok with it only to the fact the made the kessel run parsec line work. Was all worth it for that.

As for Glover, hes great, was great back on CollegeHumor.com and then Community/Atlanta s1&2 and his rap is hit or miss but most of its pretty awesome. He was a great lando, has the sex appeal and swagger to pull it off just like Billy Dee.

Seems like a Grumpy Old Man moment for ya, i know everyone has opinions but hating on Glover is just a bad take.
DocSpock
DocSpock - 7/30/2023, 5:48 PM
@McMurdo -

Wise in the ways of the Force you are.

DocSpock
DocSpock - 7/30/2023, 5:55 PM
@Gizmoduck -

I don't hate Glover you idiot.

I think he was very good in community. I think he is often very funny.

Some people like Atlanta. Many people don't like it.

Thinking he has the swagger & sex appeal to play Williams shows you know zero about what you are saying. No one would agree with that statement.

He is a very funny TV comedian with a rabid fanbase of young zombies who love him for only one reason. And his rap is garbage.

Gizmoduck
Gizmoduck - 7/31/2023, 12:20 AM
@DocSpock - you instantly move to insult like a child.

Your opinion is always negative on this site.

For being a grumpy old man you need to grow up.
DocSpock
DocSpock - 7/31/2023, 2:54 AM
@Gizmoduck -

You're just all bent because I tweaked your idol you zombie. Boo hoo.

DocSpock
DocSpock - 7/30/2023, 12:28 PM


If they want to make a great Solo/Lando movie, they need to do the following:

1) Fire EVERYONE associated with the first movie.

2) Hire @McGee to direct it.

3) Cast @OriginalGusto1 & @Supercat in the lead roles.

Instant classic.

McGee
McGee - 7/30/2023, 6:44 PM
I only have experience with filming amateur porn on my phone. Sometimes the escorts get mad because I didn't ask permission
TyrantBossMedia
TyrantBossMedia - 7/30/2023, 1:08 PM
First they need to stop hiring SJWs with an agenda that they intentionally want to inject into movies.

Second, The guy directed Haunted Mansion which is turning out to be a bomb.

Third, His motivation to make the movie a black main cast was because as he said, “I wanted to make [the movie] as Black as I can because that's New Orleans."
“I felt it was really important for the lead to be Black, because this is set in New Orleans and it's an 85% Black town,”

But that is not New Orleans because based on the U.S. Census 58.1% of the population in New Orleans is Black, while 32.7% are White, 5.6% are Hispanic, and 2.7% are Asian.

And once you do that you forget that only 13.6% of the United States is Black. So you are automatically ignoring the 75.5% that are White.
So you are catering to 13.6% of the audience.

Yes, I know they have other white actors in the movie, but the main cast is a black family and when you look at the SJW history of this director, and his inaccuracy of the demographics of New Orleans, you can clearly deduce his agenda is at hand.

Not to mention the countries overseas like China who don't want to show movies featuring Black actors.

Altogether that is going to hurt your box office and audiences are tired of narratives being injected into movies.
On top of that they already made this movie with Eddie Murphy back in 2003.

It cost 90 Million to make in 2003 and only earned 155 Million worldwide.
That's a huge bomb.

90 Million
+ 45 Million to market (approx)
+180 Million needed in sales
The movie needed to earn $315 Million to break even

It earned $155 Million.

So repeating the same behavior and expecting a different result, coupled with a no name lead (even Eddie Murphy couldn't save the original), and you are looking at a bust.

NOW...if they wanted a black family then cast Chris Rock, or Kevin Hart.
NOW you have a box office draw that will get interested no matter what the demographics because those are names that will generate interest.

But Rosario Dawson as your lead? That's a dumb move.
Nobody in the general audience knows who LaKeith Stanfield or Tiffany Haddish are.

And Danny Devito, Jamie Lee Curtis and Owen Wilson are not draws, nor is Jared Leto. Hell he couldn't sell Morbius.

Disney is so broken. It is like an alcoholic who thinks that they aren't an alcoholic, but keep drinking because it makes the feel better and they think that solves their problem.





DarthAlgar
DarthAlgar - 7/30/2023, 6:02 PM
@TyrantBossMedia - Well said.
TyrantBossMedia
TyrantBossMedia - 7/30/2023, 6:39 PM
@DarthAlgar - Thanks.
WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 7/30/2023, 1:17 PM
Disney's flop streak continues I see.

Anyways, feel bad for him finding out this way, regardless of his filmmaking abilities which I can't comment on.

But the Glovers created Atlanta, which I love. Lando is in good hands as far as I'm concerned. Not half bad as an idea for a Star Wars Disney+ show!
kazuma
kazuma - 7/30/2023, 1:36 PM
Seth Rogen is right for feel like Disney wouldn't be a good company to work for
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 7/30/2023, 1:55 PM
Bummer, but with the work the Glovers did on Atlanta, I'm optimistic about this one now.
JohnShaft
JohnShaft - 7/30/2023, 2:30 PM
PERSONALLY I'd like for Kathleen Kennedy to find out she was fired on INSTAGRAM from Bob Iger
AvalonX
AvalonX - 7/30/2023, 2:33 PM
Did he really write "rooting for everyone Black?"


What a weird world we live in where you can be openly racist.
RolandD
RolandD - 7/30/2023, 4:14 PM
@AvalonX - Admittedly, it was an odd comment but do you really know what racism means? It doesn’t seem like he’s wishing anything of ill intent towards another minority or marginalized group, so yeah, not racism.
DarthAlgar
DarthAlgar - 7/30/2023, 5:59 PM
@RolandD - America's definition of racism is different from the majority the world.

It's a term they brutally abuse and weaponize to serve their interest.
AvalonX
AvalonX - 7/30/2023, 8:21 PM
@DarthAlgar - Right, so if I was white and wrote anywhere publicly "rooting for everyone White" would I not be called racist and immedietely fired in any white collar job by the DEI police? Would people not screenshot that post all over socials if I was in any creative field?

Merrium definition:
: a person who is racist : someone who holds the belief that race (see RACE entry 1 sense 1a) is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race

So by calling out his obvious bias, he is demonstrating racism. Let's stop pretending one side can say whatever they want and its not racist. It is because they know no white (male especially) can respond, rebuttal, or even engage in the conversation.
BritishMonkey
BritishMonkey - 7/30/2023, 5:10 PM
This guy's had a rough week. First he loses his job on Lando then Haunted Mansion flops after being released with no one realising.
Poor guy.
Ryguy88
Ryguy88 - 7/31/2023, 9:08 PM
Still weird that Disney keeps matching the directors gender/race to the character.
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