Star Wars would likely want to keep this under wraps, but evidence suggests that Luke Skywalker could appear in one of the franchise's upcoming feature films. Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker is Star Wars' original protagonist, and fans have had a hard time letting him go. After appearing throughout the original trilogy, Luke returned in all three films in Disney's sequel trilogy. On top of that, the character had a few cameos in the live-action MandoVerse shows on Disney+.
Fans are gearing up for the release of The Mandalorian & Grogu, which will hit theaters on May 22. The marketing campaign for the upcoming film is running full steam ahead, and promotional materials revealed some of the characters who will appear in the movie (such as Embo from The Clone Wars). However, it is possible that Luke Skywalker himself could be included in the upcoming movie.
The Mandalorian & Grogu follows the events of Disney+'s The Mandalorian, meaning that the film will be set just a few years after Return of the Jedi. Star Wars explored this era in detail through canon projects like the MandoVerse shows, but Luke's particular journey between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens remained somewhat untouched.
However, it was established that Luke was active as a Jedi Grandmaster during this period. According to the sequel trilogy, Luke rebuilt the Jedi Order and began training younglings, until Ben Solo turned to the Dark Side and burned down Luke's Jedi Temple.
It is also worth noting that Luke has already appeared in multiple MandoVerse projects and has established relationships with both Din Djarin and Grogu, the two main characters of The Mandalorian & Grogu. Specifically, Luke popped up in the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian and was featured again in The Book of Boba Fett Episode 5.
Star Wars recently released a full-length trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu to the public, and one particular shot could be connected to Luke. At the 1:19 mark, Grogu is seen sitting in a tree in the middle of a lush forest. The planet this forest is on was not confirmed in the footage, but it looks extremely similar to an area Luke has been seen in before.
Specifically, in The Book of Boba Fett, Luke was showcased on the planet Ossus. That world was filled with lush forests, not unlike the forest seen in The Mandalorian & Grogu's trailer. Ossus is also the place where Luke built his Jedi Temple (the one Ben Solo burned down) and is a location known only to the Jedi Order.
It is possible that Din Djarin and Grogu could return to Ossus in The Mandalorian & Grogu. If they do so, then Luke Skywalker will likely make an appearance in the movie. It is also possible that the shot of Grogu sitting on that tree is a flashback and could include more of Grogu's training with Luke, meaning that the Jedi Grandmaster would also probably show up on-screen.
Star Wars has not confirmed that Ossus is the location where that shot from the trailer takes place, but few planets that have been seen in the galaxy far, far away look like Ossus. Whatever location that is in the trailer bears a strong resemblance to that planet.
It is also worth noting that the trailer used a rendition of John Williams' "Main Theme" at the start of the footage. Now, that motif has become synonymous with Star Wars and doesn't necessarily point to Luke Skywalker, but The Mandalorian has its own theme. Williams' "Main Theme" track was originally created for the original Star Wars film and was then used throughout the Skywalker Saga.
It is possible that using that track in the trailer could point to someone from the Skywalker Saga getting involved, and the most likely person would undoubtedly be Luke.
Another major piece of evidence that could raise fans' eyebrows is an Instagram post shared by Mark Hamill. In December 2025, Hamill posted a photo of himself standing with Sigourney Weaver, a legendary actress who will be joining the Star Wars universe in The Mandalorian & Grogu.
Hamill's post seemed to be just an opportunity, as he implied they were in the same place at the same time and simply snapped a photo. However, he did note at the end of the caption that he knew she was cast in The Mandalorian & Grogu, and it was "bad timing" since she was joining a universe he had already "checked out" of.
However, Hamill saying that he has "checked out" of Star Wars could be a misdirect. No one expected him to reprise his role as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian or The Book of Boba Fett, and he simply may be throwing fans off.
This is not an uncommon practice among actors, especially in major franchises. For example, Andrew Garfield swore for months that he had no involvement in Spider-Man: No Way Home, only to end up playing a major role.
It is also worth noting that Disney and Lucasfilm are still planning to create an Heir to the Empire project, which will be a culmination of all MandoVerse projects. Luke is a part of the MandoVerse and is a major character in the original Heir to the Empire story. So, if The Mandalorian & Grogu is the next step toward Heir to the Empire, and Luke is going to be in that story, his getting involved in The Mandalorian & Grogu is not a stretch.
It is possible that The Mandalorian & Grogu will not include Luke Skywalker. However, his involvement has been teased in different ways, and, at some point, coincidences don't remain coincidences when there are so many (like the Instagram post, the Star Wars theme, and the appearance of what may be Ossus).
The full trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu can be seen below:
Does The Mandalorian & Grogu Need Luke Skywalker?
A large group of Star Wars fans would undoubtedly be excited to see Luke Skywalker once again in The Mandalorian & Grogu. As mentioned, he is the most prolific protagonist in Star Wars history, and the character is deeply connected to many fans' childhoods.
However, at some point, Star Wars will have to find a way to survive without its legacy characters. Luke's role in The Mandalorian Season 2 and in The Book of Boba Fett was fine because he wasn't the sole focus of those projects, but Star Wars has finally been able to create two new characters (Din Djarin and Grogu) that fans are attached to.
Bringing Luke Skywalker into their story could steal the spotlight from them and could be dangerous for the future. For example, if he did pop up in The Mandalorian & Grogu, that would be the third time Luke would be featured alongside those two characters. In the future, fans would always be wondering when Luke would pop up again whenever a Mandalorian & Grogu project was released.
Star Wars also needs to make a project where Din Djarin and Grogu are not joined by other major characters to gauge how fans respond to something totally new. This happened in The Mandalorian Season 1, and the show was a massive success. To see how the franchise can fare in the future, Star Wars needs to stop relying on cameos and appearances by big legacy characters.
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