Luke Skywalker has been the subject of enough rumored scenes in Star Wars: Episode IX to fill a whole movie on their own, but while the fans are longing for as much Mark Hamill as they can get and the alleged leakers are all too happy to pander to this demand, the reality is that the upcoming trilogy-closer probably won’t have a whole lot of time for the saga’s main Jedi.
In a recent interview with EW, Hamill spoke of his involvement in the second season of Knightfall, but along the way, the star made a passing reference to some unfinished business in a certain sequel:
“I still have to go over and do [Episode IX].”
From here, the fans have surmised that the actor has yet to get to work on J.J. Abrams’ next film, prompting the theory that Hamill will have very limited screen time in the movie.
Indeed, it’s not an unreasonable conclusion to reach, seeing how Episode IX has apparently been filming Hamill-free for over four months now, with roughly three months to go. So despite all these reports of epic spectacles and pivotal scenes with Luke at the center, it’s perhaps best for fans to keep their expectations in check. Besides, even if it turns that we’re reading too much into a single quote, it’s a safe bet that the emotional core of next year’s flick will primarily be the arcs of younger Sequel Trilogy regulars like Rey and Kylo Ren.
At the same time, it’s unlikely that Lucasfilm would announce Hamill’s involvement in advance if a Yoda-style cameo was all they had in mind, so perhaps Luke’s appearance won’t be a mere afterthought, either. Regardless, we’ll find out when Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.
