We all expected The Force Awakens to serve as Mark Hamill's long-awaited return as Luke Skywalker. Instead, he didn't appear until the final scene where his character said...nothing. It was a strange decision and meant that we never got to see Luke, Han Solo, and Princess Leia reunite on screen.
The Last Jedi's portrayal of the Jedi Master was an issue even for Hamill himself, and not even a heroic sacrifice was enough to make up for that. The Rise of Skywalker tried to make up for that with a Force Ghost appearance, but it mostly fell flat.
Since then, the younger Luke has been somewhat redeemed with appearances in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
Following the events of Return of the Jedi, he was clearly at his peak, and the hope now is that Luke will be part of Dave Filoni's Star Wars movie revolving around characters like Din Djarin and Ahsoka Tano.
During a recent interview with Empire (via SFFGazette.com), Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy strongly hinted that Luke's presence will be felt in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's 2025 movie featuring Daisy Ridley's Rey.
"We’re going very far back, we’re looking at the present, and now we’re moving 15 years after 'The Rise Of Skywalker,'" the executive said of the project. "The First Order has fallen, the Jedi are in chaos – there’s even a question of how many exist anymore – and Rey’s building the New Jedi Order, based on the text that she was given and that Luke imparted on her."
While this doesn't confirm that Hamill will appear, it's clear the fact he saved those books (before they were taken by Rey) will be crucial in shaping the new Jedi Order his former pupil sets out to create.
Based on other comments made by Kennedy during Star Wars Celebration, we hope to have more to share with you soon!