It's a commonly known fact that Star Wars creator George Lucas had his own plans for a new trilogy set after Return of the Jedi before he ultimately decided to sell Lucasfilm to Disney. In a new interview, Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill revealed that "The Last Jedi" was also slated to perish in Lucas' version but it wouldn't have occurred until Episode IX.
Speaking to IGN, Hamill stated, "I happen to know that George didn't kill Luke until the end of [Episode] 9, after he trained Leia. Which is another thread that was never played upon [in The Last Jedi]."
While it's likely that Luke will return as a Force Ghost in J.J. Abrams' Episode IX, Hamill revealed that no one has actually confirmed the details with him.
Hamill further revealed that Lucas had the broad outlines of his new trilogy planned and that the transition to a new cast of characters would have been more gradual than what's presently occurring under Kathleen Kennedy's stewardship.
"George had an overall arc – if he didn't have all the details, he had sort of an overall feel for where the [sequel trilogy was] going – but this one's more like a relay race. You run and hand the torch off to the next guy, he picks it up and goes."
The untitled Star Wars: Episode IX is presently slated to hit theaters on December 20, 2019.