J.J. Abrams and co-writer Chris Terrio currently face two big conundrums as they approach Star Wars: Episode IX.
Number one, how do they go about bringing the curtain down on Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Saga in a way that satisfies as much as it thrills? And perhaps most important of all: what do Abrams and Terrio have planned for Carrie Fisher’s Leia, who was still standing after the events of The Last Jedi?
Food for thought, then, but there’s another (possible) point of contention that’s been hanging over Episode IX for the last six months – Luke Skywalker. It’s no secret that Mark Hamill’s Jedi Master took his last breath soon after his Force projection deceived Kylo Ren on the salt plains of Crait, but the ambiguous nature of Luke’s ‘death’ has led many to believe that the galaxy’s most famous farm boy will be making a return come 2019 – Force ghost or not.
In fact, the speculation has been so intense that Mark Hamill himself has now weighed in on the discussion via Twitter, and it’s every bit as hilarious as you’d expect from the man who rarely misses a chance to poke fun at the Star Wars franchise and his own place in it.
It is, of course, an innocent joke, and shouldn’t be taken as evidence that Hamill is all set to return for Star Wars: Episode IX. Or at least, we think that’s all it is. When it comes to Mark though, you never really know.
BREAKING NEWS: #StarWars #EpisodeIX writer/director JJ Abrams casts Empty Robe in latest installment of much anticipated space-saga. pic.twitter.com/4YW2eO7Nlm
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) July 18, 2018
Filming on Star Wars: Episode IX is expected to kick off later this month in the United Kingdom, when franchise veterans like Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Billy Dee Williams (!) will be joined by Star Wars newcomer Keri Russell, who just landed a mystery role in the Abrams-directed threequel.
