Mark Hamill has reiterated on several occasions that the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga coincided with the end of his time portraying Luke Skywalker. Of course, out of all the legacy players who returned for the Sequel Trilogy, Luke’s contribution was arguably the weakest in the grand scheme of things, although that’s no fault of the actor.
Carrie Fisher’s Leia was established as a mentor and respected leader of the Resistance, while Harrison Ford got to slip back into the roguish charms of Han Solo, before his death and subsequent reappearance as a Force Ghost became integral in Kylo Ren’s journey to the Dark Side and back again.
However, the most famous Jedi in the galaxy was given a pretty short shrift. After appearing onscreen for about two seconds at the end of The Force Awakens, the depiction of Luke in The Last Jedi was completely at odds with the character, something that Hamill admitted he wasn’t happy with. Now a bitter loner instead of the beacon of hope he once was, Luke eventually saves the day before dying, and his return as a kindly Force Ghost in The Rise of Skywalker was viewed as just one of many retcons.
There’ve been rumors sweeping the internet lately that Luke Skywalker could be poised to show up again in that galaxy far, far away, either in a prequel movie or a cameo appearance in The Mandalorian, and Sebastian Stan has been linked to a younger version of the iconic figure for a while now, something which has gained some real traction online. It remains to be seen if such casting will happen, but insider Daniel Richtman claims that Lucasfilm are leaning in the same direction as the fans. However, the news comes with the caveat that Hamill would reportedly have personal approval over the person cast as his successor.
“Lucasfilm changed their minds. Instead of de-ageing Mark Hamill they decided with Hamill’s approval to cast Sebastian Stan in the role of young Luke for future projects,” says the tipster.
Of course, The Mandalorian really doesn’t need Luke Skywalker to succeed, but if the studio want to go in that direction, then it would certainly be wise to receive the blessing of the original star beforehand.
