It seems the legions of Star Wars fans weren’t the only ones caught off guard by Disney’s recent purchase of Lucasfilms; even star Mark Hamill was surprised by the news. However, Hamill did know of the plans for a new Star Wars sequel trilogy, since he had met with George Lucas over the summer to plan for the films. We reported earlier today that the Luke Skywalker of Star Wars Episode VII is expected to be in his 30s or 40s; with Hamill currently at 61, what role could he possibly have in the next film? Hit the jump to see what Hamill had to say about the impending additions to the Star Wars franchise.
In an interview with EW, Hamill spoke openly about his surprise over the sale of Lucasfilms and the rights to Star Wars by Disney:
Oh my gosh, what a shock that was! I had no idea that George was going to sell to Disney until I read it online like everybody else… I missed his call yesterday, but I spoke to him maybe three weeks ago. But until we know more, it’s hard to make any comment other than congratulations to George.
Hamill also revealed that he had been in contact with Lucas over the summer, along with Carrie Fisher:
He did tell us last summer about wanting to go on and do [Episodes] VII, VIII, and IX, and that [newly appointed Lucasfilm president] Kathleen Kennedy would be doing them…Yeah, last August, he asked Carrie and I to have lunch with him and we did. I thought he was going to talk about either his retirement or the Star Wars TV series that I’ve heard about—which I don’t think we were going to be involved in anyway, because that takes place between the prequels and the ones we were in and, if Luke were in them, he’d be anywhere from a toddler to a teenager so they’d get an age-appropriate actor—or the 3-D releases.
So when he said, “We decided we’re going to do Episodes VII, VIII, and IX,” I was just gobsmacked. “What? Are you nuts?!” [laughs] I can see both sides of it. Because in a way, there was a beginning, a middle, and an end and we all lived happily ever after and that’s the way it should be—and it’s great that people have fond memories, if they do have fond memories. But on the other hand, there’s this ravenous desire on the part of the true believers to have more and more and more material. It’s one of those things: people either just don’t care for it or are passionate about it. I guess that defines what cult movies are all about. We’ll see. I’m anxious to know what’s going on, but the main story [yesterday] was the sale to Disney. I have mixed feelings about that, but they haven’t done badly by Marvel and the Muppets and Pixar. It’s one of those big decisions that at first seems unusual but then the more you look at it, the more it makes sense.
As to whether or not Hamill has any insight as to the plot of the upcoming films:
Well, no, he was just talking about writers and the fact that he wouldn’t be directing. I guess he wanted us to know before everybody else knew. He said, “Now you can’t tell anybody!” [laughs] Even now I’m nervous about saying anything. I just don’t know!
Be sure to head over to EW for the full interview. Be sure to catch up on all of our recent Star Wars coverage at the following links:
- Disney Buys Lucasfilm for $4 Billion; STAR WARS: EPISODE 7 Will Kick Off New Trilogy in 2015 [Updated]
- George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy Talk the Future of STAR WARS; Reveal They’ve Already Met with Writers for EPISODE VII
- 5 Suggestions for Who Should Direct STAR WARS: EPISODE VII
- Disney CEO Bob Iger and George Lucas Talk LucasFilm Acquisition and STAR WARS
- Fox Still Owns Rights to STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE; Box Set Releases Could Be Tricky
- Could the Next STAR WARS Trilogy Feature Luke Skywalker in His 30s or 40s?
Kevin Feige Gives Advice for JUSTICE LEAGUE Movie; Says to Have Confidence in the Characters and Source Material
Chris Evans Talks THE ICEMAN, SNOWPIERCER, CAPTAIN AMERICA 2, THOR 2, AVENGERS, His Marvel Contract, Future Roles, and More
Could Warner Bros. Turn Unproduced Screenplays into DC Animated Films? Geoff Johns Says it’s a Possibility
Listen to a Full Track from Hans Zimmer’s MAN OF STEEL Score
Producer Bryan Burk Says STAR WARS: EPISODE VII Will Likely Start Filming Early 2014
They better not recast or use huge amounts of CGI to make them look younger. If they can get the original cast back together and use their children for the main story and have the original cast pop up through out the trilogy then I’m fine with that. Minor CGI to alter age I guess wouldn’t be that bad cause of the advancements in CGI by 2015 but if it looks like Clu from Tron it’ll be horrible.
I’d be down to see the aged Grand Master Jedi Luke Skywalker and his son Ben take on a troop of Sith…both in a weakened state…. And Still Win!! the expanded universe actually gets pretty crazy, that introduces lots of new characters, including the offspring of Han/Leia, and Luke/Mara Jade! Would definitely wanna see the Yuuzhan Vong War on screen! Dark, brutal, epic! What do y’all think?!
FULLY AGREE!!!
Matt Lanter would be PERFECT for Luke’s Son, after all, he plays Anakin in the Clone Wars and he’s nailed that role better than Hayden Christenson. So what I’m getting at, is he’s already a Skywalker, but only his voice. But if you look him up, he looks like he could fill the role. In-fact, Most of the Clone Wars voicers could be perfect in the roles of Solo kids/skywalkers kid. They got the acting down perfect already, they know the tricky jargon/dialogues that many fresh actors say they struggle with, and looks wise, they’re perfect. Ahsoka actress for example, well, she’s a scorcher! Mmmmm
I totally agree! If they can get Hamill, Fisher and Ford back together go forwards not back! I know alot of people interested in Old Republic movies – but I think New Jedi order would be amazing!
Mark Hamill is the same age as Sir Alec Guiness was when he did New Hope. I have not heard a recent timeline for the new films and I am hoping that they cast Hamill in Obi-Wan type role. No reason that the new films can’t be set further in the future. From a narrative point of view, it actually makes more sense to have some distance from 4,5, and 6.
Even though the original treatment for a sequel trilogy supposedly had Luke aged 30 or so, I’m betting the latest version introduces a new young guy as the lead. It will be a trilogy featuring a new generation, with Hamill and Fisher asked to make appearances in supporting roles. (Billy Dee Williams and Harrison Ford could also be invited to pop in for appearances.) Look to Tron Legacy as to how the casting would work in such a new-generation format.