Mark Hamill will always be the face of Luke Skywalker, but what will happen to the character decades from now when the actor is no longer here? The Long Walk star has already said that he does not plan on playing Luke in any more Star Wars projects, but would he consider allowing Disney to use his likeness through the use of AI? We are a little closer to his answer.
Speaking to Variety ahead of his latest role as the voice of Davy Jones in The Spongebob Movie, Hamill was asked whether he has seen and is unsettled by some of the many AI videos littering the internet. One specifically mentioned is one of Luke Skywalker conversing with the Force Ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Hamill responded:
“Gee, I haven’t seen that. It’s one of those things where there’s a disconnect between the fan world and myself, in the sense that every actor does the job, and when the job is completed, they move on to the next project. They don’t really hang on to it. And yet, Star Wars is such a vital ongoing franchise. [Disney] is doing really well, and obviously, they’ve done more material since I left. But I had my time. Now I’m just a fan. I love Rogue One, Mandalorian, Andor. They’re doing great without me.”
The conversation then turned to Disney’s partnership with OpenAI, which will allow fans to create their own short videos using Disney-owned characters but without any kind of lawsuits heading their way for their troubles. With this including Star Wars characters, Hamill was asked how the idea sits with him. He said:
“It’s fascinating to see it develop, and I’m also apprehensive about how it will be used. The story of the AI-generated actress that got signed by a major agency is mind-boggling. Is she going to stay 33, or whatever her age is, forever? It’s obviously hard to predict the future, but I guess I’m gonna have to talk to my family about if they want me to be in a “Star Wars” movie 30 years from now after I’m gone.”
Mark Hamill Is Done with ‘Star Wars’…at Least During His Lifetime
While Mark Hamill made an unexpected appearance in The Mandalorian, as a de-aged Luke, and Luke appeared again in The Book of Boba Fett through deep fake technology, it seems that the actor’s time is now over as far as he is concerned. In a previous interview, Hamill said of the Star Wars franchise:
“The way I feel is I had my time, and I love what they’re doing with The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. They asked me to do brief cameos when Luke was at the height of his powers.
“I told George it’s almost like if you did this for James Bond — Episode One, he’s a kid dreaming about the future and hearing about secret agents. In Episode Two, he trains to be a secret agent. In Episode Three, he earns his license to kill — and then you stop. No Dr. No, no From Russia With Love, no Goldfinger. Luke has a beginning and an end, but no middle. That’s just how it played out.”
What the future holds for future appearances of Luke Skywalker in years to come is no clearer than it was before. With James Earl Jones’s voice being signed over to Disney to continue being used for Darth Vader appearances in theme parks, games and potentially more movies, could Mark Hamill immortalize himself as the forever face of Luke? Perhaps in a future not a long, long way away, it could become a reality.
- Release Date
-
May 25, 1977
- Runtime
-
121 minutes
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
