He may have been a Jedi like his father before him, but it appears that Luke Skywalker's time on the small or big screen may be over. This past week, while premiering his newest project, actor Mark Hamill spoke of whether he would welcome a return to the Star Wars franchise.
Hamill spoke to Comicbook.com about not returning, saying, “I am so grateful to George [Lucas] for letting me be a part of that back in the day, the humble days when George called Star Wars ‘the most expensive low-budget movie ever made.' We never expected it to become a permanent franchise and a part of pop culture like that. But my deal is, I had my time. I’m appreciative of that, but I really think they should focus on the future and all the new characters.”
It seems he is ready to move on, and the reason may be as selfless as the character of Luke, who played for many years. He wants to move aside and allow the newest slate of characters to take over the franchise.
It does not seem like Hamill will appear at this time in the upcoming New Jedi Order film slated for release in the next few years. The film, dubbed Episode X, is set to star Daisy Ridley and takes place a few years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. If so, the film would be Hamill's last appearance on the big screen in the franchise. He played a Force ghost in the final installment.
He also appeared via the use of technology in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. But outside of The Last Jedi, all of his appearances were cameos. Possibly now Hamill's thinking is to not take away from the newest stars of the franchise.
Such as Daisy Ridley, who is set to be a key part of the films moving forward. She portrayed Rey in the sequel trilogy and worked opposite Hamill for a lot of his time in those films. It may have been a changing of the guard between the characters, and for the sake of the franchise.
The most important aspect of Hamill not returning would be that the franchise could get away from nostalgia and move forward in a new and exciting way. The popularity of Andor and aspects of The Mandalorian series have demonstrated audiences' desire for new stories in the galaxy.