The world of pop-culture owes the Star Wars franchise a huge debt of gratitude. What started with George Lucas' vision of a space adventure in the 1970s has spawned into one of the most successful film series of all time (and, in a way, one of the very first major franchises of its time). Now, almost five decades later, and it's still going strong as one of the titans of Hollywood.
One of the biggest reasons that Star Wars has been so enduring over the years is the popularity of the characters involved in the intergalactic adventures. From Han Solo and Luke Skywalker to Darth Vader and Cassian Andor, there have been a multitude of fan-favorites that have helped Star Wars stand the test of time.
With the phenomenon still entertaining fans on the big screen and small screen, the stories for the franchise will continue. However, don't expect to see one of its biggest stars feature anymore.
Mark Hamill won't return to Star Wars as Luke Skywalker
Mark Hamill is one of Star Wars' biggest icons but he has officially ruled out a return to the franchise as Luke Skywalker. In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, he opened up about the legacy of the movie series and the beloved character that he played, also offering what he hopes to see it achieve in the future. But he was particularly confident that he won't be coming back to reprise his legendary role.
"I am so grateful to George [Lucas] for letting me be a part of that back in the days, the humble days when George called Star Wars ‘the most expensive low-budget movie ever made. We never expected it to become a permanent franchise and a part of pop culture like that. But my view 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.”
Hamill first originated the role of Luke Skywalker back in 1978's franchise-opener A New Hope, reprising it throughout that original trilogy of films. While always one of the faces of the movie series, he had arguably his most famous moment in 1982 sequel The Empire Strikes Back when he confronts Darth Vader, prompting that legendary reveal.
Although the character's story did generally come to an end, Hamill has reprised the role in recent years, appearing in cameo appearances throughout the modern "Sequel Trilogy", including 2019 franchise-closer The Rise of Skywalker. He then made CGI-assisted cameo appearances in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett in which he was de-aged due to the time period which those projects were set. It sounds like that might be the official closing of the Star Wars chapter of his career, as he looks to the future of the franchise without Luke Skywalker.
The stories in that universe so far, far away have reached a little bit of a crossroads, particularly due to the fact that the mighty Skywalker Saga concluded in 2019. Since then, the Star Wars franchise has found success on Disney Plus with streaming shows such as The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but the powers-that-be have been trying to bring it back to the big screen. The clearest example of that The Mandalorian and Grogu, which will debut on the big screen next year - potentially ending the Disney Plus series as a result.
It's always possible that one of the projects set in the earlier days of the Star Wars timeline could feature another de-aged Luke Skywalker appearance but it sounds like Hamill is happy with where his Star Wars story has ended for now. And with that we say: Thank You, Luke Skywalker.