4 Jun – After playing Luke Skywalker in six Star Wars films, Mark Hamill recently announced that he is not interested to play Luke Skywalker anymore in future projects. The 73-year-old actor, who made his debut playing the character in the first film in 1977, said that he is grateful to George Lucas for trusting a movie newcomer like him in the past, but that Skywalker's run is over. "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," he said.
Hamill also jokingly added that Luke left his robes behind when he disappeared in "The Last Jedi", and that he doesn't want to appear as a "naked Force ghost". The statement was made amid reports that Lucasfilm is developing a movie based on Luke Skywalker's protege, Rey (Daisy Ridley). The film, helmed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, picks up roughly 15 years after the events in "The Rise Of Skywalker" (2019) and follows Rey's efforts to build a new Jedi order. Hamill will be seen next in the Stephen King adaptation, "The Life of Chuck", and recently concluded filming another Stephen King adaptation, "The Long Walk".