Though it’s not the only iconic character he’s portrayed, it’s difficult to discuss Luke Skywalker without thinking of Mark Hamill. That being said, Hamill won’t be around forever, which has leftStar Warsfans wondering who will portray the Jedi once Hamill passes on to become one with the Force.
Asinseparable as Luke Skywalker is from Hamill, Luke Skywalker is even more inseparable fromStar Wars. Though the franchise has expanded vastly sinceStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hopewas released in theaters in 1977, the farmboy from Tatooine has never been forgotten. The character Luke Skywalker has appeared in all three majorStar Warstrilogies, with Hamill portraying him in two. More recently, a younger version of Luke was featured inThe Mandalorianseason 2 andThe Book of Boba Fettseason 1. Though audiences hear Hamill’s voice, Luke was physically portrayed by Max Lloyd-Jones, and Hamill’s de-aged face was digitally put over the actor’s.
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Some might say that sounds like a lot of effort to avoid recasting Luke Skywalker, and Hamill would be the first to agree. During an interview withEsquire, Hamill spoke about working with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni onThe Mandalorianto bring a younger version of Luke to life. While he admitted to liking theStar Warsshow and the work, he found it “unusual” to look at the in-progress and finished footage. Speaking more directly about whether he’ll continue to be involved withStar Warsin that capacity, he said, “People say, ‘Oh, now you’re going to be able to do a whole series of Luke post-‘Return of the Jedi’.’ I said, ‘I don’t think so.’ First of all, they don’t need to tell those stories, but if they do, they could get an age-appropriate actor.” Regarding the process of recreating the Luke Skywalker fans know and love, he added, “It can’t be cheap.”
SeveralStar Warsfans share Hamill’s thoughts about the character. Specifically, fans have long wantedSebastian Stan to take over the roleand portray the young Jedi inStar Warsprojects that tell stories requiring a younger Luke. At the moment, Lucasfilm has not made any official announcements regarding who will play Luke Skywalker in future projects.
Whileat least one more Deepfake Luke Skywalker cameomight be on the horizon, futureStar Warsappearances may need to rely on an entirely new actor. While recasting actors when they’re too old to portray a character isn’t uncommon, it’s something that Lucasfilm seems unwilling to do. Ewan McGregor reprised his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the showKenobialmost twenty years after the last time he played the character for a live-action project.
Following Carrie Fisher’s death, Lucasfilm keptFisher inStar Wars: Episode 9as Leia Organausing old footage and editing software to change her hair and costuming rather than cast a different actress. While the commitment to honoring such iconic and recognizable characters is admirable, it may be more sustainable - and more popular - for Lucasfilm and Disney to bring new actors into the fold.
