The Mandalorian: Mark Hamill Grateful To Play Luke Skywalker When He Was Still a Symbol of Hope

On Friday, the director of the final episode in The Mandalorian 's second season, Peyton Reed, tweeted out a heartfelt message to Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. Reed was able to direct Hamill in his return as Skywalker during the final moments of The Mandalorian's latest season. He called it "a dream come true" to work with Hamill after explaining how much Star Wars meant to him as a child.

The surprise cameo by Hamill was hard to keep a secret, according to showrunner Jon Favreau . It proved to be well worth it as fans all over the galaxy celebrated the return of the original green-bladed Jedi. Not only did his return work well in the story, but it gave Hamill another opportunity to portray the character after The Sequel Trilogy.

NEWS

Mark Hamill tweeted out a friendly response to Peyton Reed's message, sharing his gratitude:

"Dear Peyton Reed,

I am so grateful to have been given the unexpected opportunity to revisit my character when he was still a symbol of hope & optimism.

Your assured direction & kindness was a crucial element in the experience & means more to me than I can say.

Thank YOU."

Here's the full tweet:

Dear @MrPeytonReed, I am so grateful to have been given the unexpected opportunity to revisit my character when he was still a symbol of hope & optimism. Your assured direction & kindness was a crucial element in the experience & means more to me than I can say.#ThankYOU🙏 https://t.co/yNngOQdJRS

WHAT THIS MEANS

Hamill has been somewhat critical of the direction Rian Johnson took Luke in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. So it is interesting to see him specifically say he was "grateful" to return as Luke "when he was still a symbol of hope & optimism." Those two characteristics were very different from what we saw in The Last Jedi , up until the end at least.

It is clear that Hamill was overjoyed by the opportunity to return to the role that made him a household name, already calling the experience "something you never realized you wanted until it was given." It is clear by Reed and Hamill's sentiments that this was a special moment for both of these creators. It is always a joy to see that the filmmakers had just as mich fun making the content as the fans had consuming it.

Hamill believed it was (or lied about it being) his final appearance as Luke in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ; however now it seems unclear if he will once again show up in The Mandalorian or possibly another Star Wars project. If The Mandalorian plans on continuing Grogu's story, Luke would seemingly have to be involved. This could mean yet another powerful appearance by Hamill, letting the actor continue the portrayal of this " symbol of hope & optimism."