It has been revealed that Mark Hamill didn’t sign on for a return to the Star Wars franchise until Harrison Ford did.
Star Wars, as a cinematic entity, was out in the wilderness for a little while, but when it was learned that the franchise was coming back with original stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, those days were quickly forgotten.
Well, it turns out that Hamill wasn’t as eager as many of us fans to see Luke Skywalker return to our screens, as he has revealed to The New York Times that he waited until Ford signed on for Star Wars: The Force Awakens before he did himself.
Hamill, it turns out was “scared” by the prospect and feared that audiences would reject him and the other original stars.
“No one wants to see the 50-, 60-, 70-year-old versions of us, running around, bumping heads on the Death Star.”
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Hamill believed that Ford would provide him with a bit of cover for not wanting to sign on as, “he’s too old and too rich and too cranky.”
But after Ford signed up, Hamill realised he couldn’t say no: “Can you imagine if I was the only one to say no? I’d be the most hated man in nerd-dom.”
It certainly would have been tragic if the reason why the new films didn’t happen was because Hamill was the only one who didn’t want to return. Luckily for us, no such situation took place and audiences can look forward to seeing Hamill as Luke Skywalker this December in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
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In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set for release on December 14th in the UK and December 15th in the States and sees returning cast members Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Billie Lourd (Lieutenant Connix), Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke), Peter Mayhew and Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Tim Rose (Admiral Ackbar), Mike Quinn (Nien Nunb), Simon Pegg (Unkar Plutt), and Warwick Davis joined by new additions Jimmy Vee (Pan) as R2-D2, Kelly Marie Tran (Ladies Like Us) as Rose, and Benicio Del Toro (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Laura Dern (Jurassic Park).
Originally published October 31, 2017. Updated December 1, 2022.
