Mark Hamill has spoken openly about his future with Star Wars. Hamill originated the iconic role of Luke Skywalker in the original 1977 installment, reprising the role in five other Star Wars movies, including the remainder of the original trilogy and the newest trilogy, which spanned from 2015’s The Force Awakens through 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.
On the latest episode of Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast, Hamill shared his thoughts about returning to the Star Wars franchise. Although he acknowledged that he “love[s] what they’re doing” with shows such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, in which he made cameos as a younger Luke, he says that “I had my time.”
Hamill reveals that he commented to Star Wars creator George Lucas that his appearances in the franchise gave Luke Skywalker “a beginning and an end, but no middle,” comparing his character’s arc to the James Bond franchise without Dr. No, Goldfinger, and From Russia with Love.
However, he frankly acknowledges that “that’s just how it played out.” He says that “they’re doing great, and I wish them all the best,” but he believes that his time as Luke Skywalker is indeed over.
It’s ultimately not impossible for Hamill to return to the franchise at some point in the future. In fact, his appearances in Disney+’s The Mandalorian and Boba Fett both premiered after his character had canonically died on the big screen, because they took place in an earlier in-universe time period.
However, the franchise has slowly been moving away from the core timeline of the original movies. In fact, a number of recent or upcoming Star Wars projects have already taken place either long before Luke’s birth or after his death.
This includes the Disney+ series The Acolyte, which was set in the High Republic era. Additionally, two of the most notable upcoming movies in the franchise will take place after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. Those тιтles are the impending sequel featuring Daisy Ridley reprising her role as Rey and the Ryan Gosling adventure movie Starfighter.
While other projects such as the Jude Law series Skeleton Crew and the upcoming movie The Mandalorian & Grogu do take place during the time when Luke Skywalker was alive, there has been a progressive shift away from the core characters of the original trilogy, especially in the wake of the 2016 death of Carrie Fisher, who portrayed Leia Organa.
While Mark Hamill may eventually change his mind about reprising his iconic Star Wars role at least one more time, he seems to recognize that the best opportunity for the franchise to thrive is in exploring new time periods and expanding the universe beyond the scope of the original movies, the first of which debuted nearly 50 years ago.
Star Wars
- Created by
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George Lucas
- First Film
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Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
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Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
