The de-aging conversation is directly tied to the franchise conversation in Hollywood. The desire to make actors look younger is only necessary because studios insist on casting them in sequels and prequels that require them to look like they did 40 years ago. The characters are too iconic to let go, it seems, and Luke Skywalker is perhaps the best example of this.
The character, played by Mark Hamill, was de-aged so that he could look like prime-era Luke for the second season of The Mandalorian. The technology was positively received by fans, but there was a consensus that future iterations would benefit from being played by a different actor, rather than an aging Hamill. Fans had a specific actor in mind, too…
Sebastian Stan. That’s right, the Winter Soldier himself. Stan went viral a few years ago when a photo of his face was placed next to a photo of Hamill from 1980. The resemblance was uncanny, to say the least, and ever since then fans have pushed the idea of casting Stan to play Luke Skywalker in future Star Wars prequels. The push has not been lost on Stan, who addressed it head-on and joked that Hamill was his “father.”
In 2021, Stan addressed the Hamill situation, saying that the only way he’d take over the role of Luke Skywalker would be if he got the okay from Hamill.
The admiration seems to run both ways. Hamill responded to a fan question on Twitter (or X) and confirmed that he was a big fan of Stan’s work. “Sebastian doesn’t need my stamp of approval! He’s a wonderful actor and is never less than great in everything he does,” he wrote.
We agree with Hamill. Stan definitely has the pedigree and the star power needed to assume such a legendary role. He proved that he could hang with the best of them in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he’s given acclaimed performances in dramatic fare like I, Tonya and the miniseries Pam & Tommy. The ages even line up, when you consider how old Hamill was when he originally played Skywalker, and the timeline of the shows in which the character has appeared.
Hamill was 31 when he filmed Return of the Jedi, and the events of The Mandalorian season 2 are supposed to take place five years later. That would mean that Skywalker was 36 the last time we saw him, and the character would be roughly the same age if he were to appear in future Star Wars shows. Stan is 40, and has the physicality needed to pull off lightsaber fights and Jedi stunts.
Time will tell if Luke Skywalker’s recasting will actually happen, but everybody (us included) seems to be onboard with the idea.