Mark Hamill has revealed he doesn’t expect to return in the upcoming Star Wars movie exploring Rey’s new Jedi Order. At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm unveiled plans for future Star Wars movies set across the entire timeline – from the dawn of the Jedi 25,000 years before the prequel trilogy to an upcoming film exploring Rey’s new Jedi Order 15 years after the sequels. There’s been intense speculation Rey will be assisted by Force ghosts, allowing Mark Hamill to reprise the role of Luke Skywalker once again.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Mark Hamill has noted he doesn’t consider that likely. Asked whether he plans to play Force ghost Luke Skywalker again, he gave a customarily blunt response; “No, I don’t have any expectations of that happening.” It seems Hamill at least believes the baton has been handed over to a new generation of stars.
Has Mark Hamill’s Star Wars Journey Come To An End?
Just a few days ago, Hamill expressed support for a recast Luke Skywalker rather than continued use of deepfakes in The Mandalorian era. The timing of his comment to THR, then, really does seem to imply he believes his Star Wars journey is coming to an end. In the same interview with THR, he discusses the emotional filming of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and describes the sense of closure he felt. “Well, the whole thing was emotional, because when I read [Episode] VIII, I knew it was over,” he observed. “So I was relishing every moment, but also saying goodbye to all those people that I had associated with over the years. So I still miss them.” The clear implication is that he sensed the finality of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Viewed through that perspective, endless cameos and returns would deny this and just drag things out rather than embrace this closure.
This is, of course, disappointing news for many viewers. But Hamill’s reasons are entirely understandable, and they do offer an opportunity for Star Wars to begin to expand once again. Lucasfiilm arguably learned the wrong lessons from Solo: A Star Wars Story, blaming the recasting of the young Han Solo for the movie’s poor performance rather than a combination of lackluster marketing and a lack of creative vision. That’s led Star Wars to embrace deepfakes rather than recasting the original trilogy, an approach that is impressive in technological terms but far less so in creativity. Hamill seems to want to step aside, passing the baton on to a new generation of Star Wars heroes, and that’s probably for the best.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
