Star Wars Episode IX concept art hits internet and reveals first look at Lando Calrissian

Billy Dee Williams is back, Lando Calrissian is here to bless Star Wars Episode IX with his presence, and a reference photo has made its way online.

Lando Calrissian has always taken his sweet time showing up in Star Wars media. First, it was waiting until The Empire Strikes Back. Then, in Solo, we had to get past Han meeting Chewbacca and more before Donald Glover appeared on the big screen. Granted, Episode IX news has been slightly more forthcoming when it comes to Lando news — and that only in the sense that we knew Billy Dee Williams would return.

Fortunately, fans have gotten a little more, with r/StarWarsLeaks publishing a collage of photos, one of which shows Lando as he’ll allegedly appear in Episode IX. His shirt is colorful and seems to be a nod to that Solo appearance. (It wouldn’t be the first time Glover and Williams have dressed similarly.) Of course, he also has a cape on — if he didn’t, would it really be Lando?

All in all, there’s not a ton that’s really surprising about Lando’s look, which serves as verification of its own. The men of Star Wars have a tendency to stick with what works for them. Leave the cool costumes to the ladies, right?

Speaking of verification, the same collage also presents us with a look at Poe. While the moderators over at r/StarWarsLeaks have their ways of verifying information (and the original poster, u/JediPraxis, cites a published article from Making Star Wars as additional confirmation), the Poe look also lines up pretty closely with the set images we’ve seen. It’s again more circumstantial evidence, but these things add up.

Finally, however, let’s dive deep into that Rey look. While the MSW link above mentions that her hairstyle will go back to a more Force Awakens-inspired look, it doesn’t mention anything about her costume. The collage has those same strong Force Awakens vibes for her ensemble, just rendered in brighter whites this time and with some slight variations. It’s a transition from the grays of The Last Jedi as well.

In terms of color story, we may be seeing a Rey who is unapologetically and unreservedly on the side of good — connection to Kylo Ren and dark side temptations aside. It also sets her apart from the previous main characters in their third movies: both Anakin and Luke Skywalker wore a significant amount of black in the closing chapter of their trilogy. Of course, it’ll also just set her apart from Kylo Ren anyway, because the collage shows him keeping the Skywalkers-wear-black tradition alive. Bless him.

Finally, the collage seems to confirm that Dominic Monaghan and Richard E. Grant will be part of the Resistance and the First Order, respectively. No surprises in either.

Star Wars Episode IX is set for a Dec. 20 release.