Mark Hamill has revealed why he won’t return for the next Star Wars film, and fans have united in that decision.
Famous for playing Luke Skywalker, Hamill played the character in all Star Wars films spanning the ‘Original’ and ‘Sequel’ trilogies, as well as a few appearances in TV projects.
However, with Daisy Ridley set to reprise her role as Rey in the next Star Wars film (currently titled New Jedi Order), it appears her wise mentor will not be coming back.
“I am so grateful to George [Lucas] for letting me be a part of that back in the day, the humble days when George called Star Wars ‘the most expensive low-budget movie ever made,’” Hamill told ComicBook.
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“We never expected it to become a permanent franchise and a part of pop culture like that. But my deal is, I had my time. I’m appreciative of that, but I really think they should focus on the future and all the new characters.”
I’ll put a spoiler warning here, but as avid Star Wars fans know, Luke died at the end of The Last Jedi.
Hamill returned for a small appearance as a Force ghost in The Rise of Skywalker, but it seems as though the character is done for now.
“What Rey needs is time to stand by herself. Luke's story is over, let it be over,” wrote a comment on Reddit.
“Getting stuck on old legacy characters isn't good for storytelling, and isn't good for the young new stars, or the more recent legacy characters they'll be working with,” wrote another comment.
“I know it's divisive, but for me The Last Jedi was the perfect send off for Luke, and the couple of scenes in Rise of Skywalker with Luke felt like a fitting epilogue,” wrote a third comment.
“I'm okay with letting him rest for the New Jedi Order. Perhaps the time in between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens could be explored using animation.”
Hopefully the next Star Wars film from Disney will allow a greater focus on the next part of Rey’s story, now that Luke isn’t set to appear.
As divisive as the sequel films are, Ridley’s performance is one of the best things about it, so hopefully she’ll be able to shine here.
Topics: Disney, Star Wars, TV And Film, Lucasfilm