Amid Star Wars fan speculation about Luke Skywalker's MandoVerse prospects, Mark Hamill shared his thoughts, as well as his own opinion about being recast.
While Lucasfilm created a young Luke Skywalker for Disney+ through Hamill, stand-in actors, and an alchemy of de-aging and deep fake tech, there's long been talk of a different direction to continue telling tales with the Tatooine farmboy.
Mark Hamill Talks Luke Skywalker's On-Screen Future
In talking to Esquire, Mark Hamill revealed why he returned for The Mandalorian, what it was like, and whether more Luke is coming to a galaxy near you.
After Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni showed Hamill The Mandalorian which he "was very impressed with," the original trilogy star found himself on a Disney+ set performing a scene, which was then imitated by performance actor, Graham Hamilton.
According to Hamill, "It is unusual to see yourself like that," as he, Hamilton, and others contributed to recreating that younger version of himself.
Given the complexity, coupled with how recognizable Luke Skywalker is, he also noted that "It can't be cheap."
But even though Hamill's young Skywalker has appeared in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, he doesn't think he should return for another story centered on Luke. However, if Lucasfilm did choose to go back the Luke well, Hamill believes they need to recast "an age-appropriate actor:"
"People say, 'Oh, now you're going to be able to do a whole series of Luke post-'Return of the Jedi'.' I said, 'I don't think so.' First of all, they don't need to tell those stories, but if they do, they could get an age-appropriate actor."
The End of Luke Skywalker Cameos?
While Star Wars fans loved that Mark Hamill was involved in bringing young Luke to two Disney+ series, many have long been in favor of a recast.
In fact, Sebastian Stan has long been the leading favorite, a possibility the MCU actor himself has responded to, saying, "never say never."
Now, even though Hamill honestly believes Luke's journey is complete and doesn't think a series is on the way, the fact he's seemingly onboard with a recast is worth paying attention to.
In light of fan backlash towards The Last Jedi's handling of Luke, Lucasfilm wouldn't risk revisiting Star Wars' original hero without its actor's blessing.
But since Hamill is seemingly for it, that means the possibility is there if Lucasfilm chooses to pursue it.
Perhaps that recent ad for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor with Hamill mentoring Cal Kestis' Cameron Monaghan could one day be a reality, but just with Sebastian Stan?
In addition, Hamill's comments suggest that Lucasfilm probably won't use the same methods to bring Luke back for future Disney+ episodes or Dave Filoni's MandoVerse movie.
Whether fans will ever see another return from the Jedi remains unknown; but at least audiences and Lucasfilm know where the actor stands.
All episodes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett are available to stream on Disney+.
