Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Will Likely Be Mark Hamill’s Final Appearance As Luke

From the moment Mark Hamill uttered the phrase “it’s time for the Jedi… to end” more than two years ago, fans have long speculated that his time as Luke Skywalker was coming to a close.

Toss in the imminent Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, in which Hamill’s fallen hero is expected to take on the role of a Force ghost, and it’s nigh on certain that Mark Hamill is preparing to say his goodbyes to the Star Wars franchise once and for all.

Well, according to our sources – the same ones who told us Ewan McGregor was returning as Obi-Wan back in May – The Rise of Skywalker will indeed mark Hamill’s final appearance as Luke Skywalker, meaning the actor will finally be given the opportunity to bid farewell to that Tatooine farmboy who wormed his way into our hearts back in ’77.

Let’s not forget that Hamill himself has openly welcomed the prospect of retiring his Star Wars icon, particularly after his clever bait-and-switch during the finale of The Last Jedi, in which he duped Kylo Ren through the power of the Force. While speaking with the Associated Press back in June, Mark Hamill acknowledged his character’s poignant death during Episode VIII, but still looked forward to his inevitable swan song as a Force Ghost.

I sure hope so. I had closure in the last one. The fact that I’m involved in any capacity is only because of that peculiar aspect of the Star Wars mythology where, if you’re a Jedi, you get to come back [and] make a curtain call as a force ghost.

In the words of the man himself: “We’ll always be with you; no one’s ever really gone.” Even if Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker turns out to be Mark Hamill’s final appearance as Luke Skywalker, his legacy will linger over the franchise for generations to come – much like those belonging to Carrie Fisher and late Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew.