You weren’t the only one taken aback by Luke Skywalker and his ill-tempered disposition in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
As part of the sequel’s Director and the Jedi featurette, Mark Hamill recently recalled the back-and-forth discussions he had with Rian Johnson, and why they weren’t all that different from the good-natured clashes involving him and George Lucas on Return of the Jedi.
But whereas Richard Marquand’s threequel brought Luke back at a time when the Rebel Alliance needed him most, The Last Jedi places our curmudgeonly hero on the opposite end of the galaxy – Ahch-To, to be specific – where he has embraced a lonely fate far, far away from the war between the First Order and the Resistance. And it’s that sudden transition, from a beacon of hope to a sulky loner, that took Hamill by surprise.
Be that as it may, the actor is still up for a return in Star Wars: Episode IX. While attending a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin, he spoke with ABC and told them that if he was asked to come back, he would, before saying that it’s all in J.J. Abrams’ hands. And though there’s been no word yet on if the actor will indeed get a chance to appear in the film, all signs point to at least a cameo.
For one, it’d just feel kind of wrong to close out the trilogy without him, but beyond that, there are certainly a number of ways in which Luke could come back. A flashback to his training of Kylo Ren at the Jedi Academy could work, as would having him show up as a Force ghost. After all, Rian Johnson has already explained that he thought his decision opened up “more possibilities” for what Abrams could do with Luke in the next movie.
Either way, now that the dust is beginning to settle from The Last Jedi, Hamill has come to terms with Johnson’s creative vision. Granted, it’s by no means the first time that the Star Wars icon has raised concern over Skywalker’s arc, as like we said above, he clashed with George Lucas while creating Return of the Jedi, too.
It’s all good-natured fun, of course, considering Mark Hamill just wants what’s best for his on-screen icon. And chances are he’ll be back for Star Wars: Episode IX in some shape or form.
