In past interviews, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy appeared to close the door on younger actors replacing those who played the original Star Wars trilogy's most iconic characters. However, she also insists the Lando series starring Donald Glover is still happening, so your guess is as good as ours when it comes to the studio's future plans
The point is, Mark Hamill appears to have (mostly) closed the door on playing a young Luke Skywalker again, so where does that leave the beloved Jedi?
Well, Ms. Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is going to helm a Star Wars movie that will see Daisy Ridley reprise her role as Rey. Now a Jedi Master, she'll be looking to create a new Jedi Order while attempting to combat the dark forces that rise up to stop her.
There have already been rumblings about Luke's Force Ghost appearing in the movie alongside another familiar face, and Hamill played coy when Esquire (via SFFGazette.com) asked him about possibly returning as Luke in the movie.
"One thing you learn working for Lucasfilm: everything is confidential. Everything is confidential," he teases. "So, if I were involved, I wouldn't be able to tell you. And if I were not involved, I wouldn't be able to tell you. So, I don't know. We'll all find out together, I guess."
Well, that sounds somewhat promising, anyway.
It's hard to say for sure, but the studio appears to be taking this movie seriously and has likely already reached out to Hamill if there's a place for him as Rey's story continues. While The Rise of Skywalker went into damage control mode with Luke's Force Ghost, this project stands a chance of really making things right.
We don't have a confirmed release date for the project, but prior to the WGA strike, the expectation was that it was targeting a December 2025 theatrical debut.
Hopefully, we'll get some official casting news sooner rather than later!