Mark Hamill Talks Returning to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, George Lucas and More!

Star-Wars-Celebration-2015-Mark-Hamill-PointingMark Hamill checked in at the Salt Lake Comic Con at the Vivint Smart Home Arena with wit, wisdom and laughter: Sorry folks, no talk of Star Wars: Episode VIII. However, the Jedi Master himself  did reveal something that George Lucas told him and how worried he was about fans reacting to him only appearing at the end of Episode VII. Read on for more!

 

 

Next year’s sequel to the blockbuster hit Star Wars: The Force Awakens stayed relatively under wraps until near the end of his discussion (see below). The actor who recently hinted that he would grow his beard back for Star Wars: Episode IX, seemed to be having a little fun with fans and was something short of a show man at the Star Wars panel.

 

KUTV.com was on site at the SLCC to see just what the legendary Star Wars actor had to say.

 

“Oh my gosh! Thousands and thousands of my new best friends,” Mark Hamill said he removed his hat, sat down and ran a comb through his hair. “Thank you for coming, it’s earlier than a matinee show!”

“It’s not really a show, which I will prove beyond a shadow of doubt in the next hour,” he pauses, smiles and continues,” It’s more like an intimate conversation. I want to talk to you like you are sitting in my living room. Exactly as if you were sitting in my living room, but I won’t be serving snacks and no, you can’t use the bathroom.”

 

Disney-Lucasfilm-Geor_Darg-11

 

Hamill then took us back four years to a lunch with George Lucas. It took place in Florida, the location of that year’s Star Wars Celebration. Hamill’s wife sensed that there was something special about this meeting, suggested that there might in fact be plans to make a new trilogy.

“I laughed and laughed and laughed because [Lucas] had specifically told me… ‘We’re not going to be doing any more. I don’t want to be doing these things in my 70s.’”

Hamill was convinced Lucas was going to ask him to do something to coincide with the 3D releases of the original films or possibly something for a bonus feature on a video release. History, as Hamill is forced to admit, proved his wife to be correct as Lucas revealed he was passing the franchise on to Disney and producer Kathleen Kennedy and that there was a high probability of a new trilogy featuring the classic cast.

“Now, if you don’t want to do it, we won’t recast, we’ll write you out.”

“Now I kept a real poker face,” Hamill recalls, “I felt like someone hit me in the stomach really hard, but I didn’t know any reaction. Carrie Fisher of course said, ‘I’m in!’” he says jumping out of his chair. “I said Carrie, ‘Poker face! Poker face! Talk to your agent first!’”

She then proceeded to ask if there was a role for Billie [Lourd], her daughter, in the film.

Luke

 

Halfway through the panel Hamill paused to address the elephant in the room.

“Look at all your expectant faces, just filled with hope and optimism. You make all this effort to come today… to just hear one little factoid about a movie I’m contractually forbidden to talk about. Isn’t that funny?” he said with a manic laugh. “I can’t talk about it!”

Hamill admits to having fun messing with the minds of obsessive fans who analyze everything he says.

“You should know by now; don’t believe a word I say. I’m a professional liar,” he exclaims, “I get paid for making stuff up and pretending. Why would anyone believe me?”

13 Mark Hamill in rocky compound

 

Hamill admits that he was a little worried how audiences would react to him only appearing at the end of “Episode VII.”

“If I turn around and the audience [groans] like it’s a big gimmick I’m the one with egg on my face J.J., not you or Kathy. I was just worried it wouldn’t work. It’s a great surprise and I love surprise endings like that, but I wasn’t sure how to present it,” he says.

Hamill talked about the idea of returning to “Star Wars,” how it was an “all of us or none of us” sort of proposition.

“I wasn’t sure if I should come back. We had a beginning, a middle and an end and it was perfect. It really should be about the new generation. But I don’t have to worry because Harrison [Ford] isn’t going to do this. He’s way too rich and cynical. He stopped caring decades ago,” he says, “Then when they told me he was doing it I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’ve been drafted.’”

 

You can check out the full panel below:

 

 

 

Star Wars: Episode VIII hits theaters on 15 December 2017.

 

 

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19 thoughts on “Mark Hamill Talks Returning to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, George Lucas and More!

  • September 2, 2016 at 6:22 pm
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    Mark seems that he wants to become an Ace Attorney himself. 🙂

  • September 2, 2016 at 6:32 pm
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    Not only did the final scene work, but it was accompanied by the best musical piece in the movie. Bravo, can’t wait to see more of Mark in the next one.

    • September 3, 2016 at 12:36 am
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      Music –
      I really need to go listen to the soundtrack.
      Saw TFA 3x times in theatre and honestly was most *unimpressed* by the soundtrack.
      Almost nothing stood out for me, unlike most all of the other films thus far in the series. Exception being just *rehash* of music from previous movies.
      Heck, TPM he incredibly memorable must that I wanted to rush out & buy after 1st showing.

      • September 3, 2016 at 3:43 am
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        I know what you mean, and that was my initial reaction. However, try listening to the soundtrack on its own, and it may grow on you. It did for me.

        • September 3, 2016 at 3:59 am
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          I have it & honestly just haven’t given it a listen on its own.
          Will do so!

          I’ve read great reviews/commentary (such as yours) calling out the soundtrack, so think I should give it a shot.

          It could’ve been the audio editing of the film, maybe dialogue/effects drowning things out, or even the sound in the theatres I went to (2x diff ones, but top tier in general) that *lost* the soundtrack.

          Don’t get me wrong – I love John Williams & he’s my favorite modern composer.
          Might have to finally go give the soundtrack a listen through this weekend.
          Cheers!

      • September 3, 2016 at 6:59 am
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        I took about 4 to 5 listens to the soundtrack for me to really appreciate the work Williams did. Now when I watch TFA, I enjoy it SOOOO much more. You can’t expect music to always hit you right away.

  • September 2, 2016 at 7:02 pm
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    He looks in good shape – if nothing else the new movies must have made him and Carrie much healthier!

  • September 2, 2016 at 8:08 pm
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    It was a great panel and a fun way to kick off the day, they had Shatner in right behind him and then the Lucasfilm Story Group down the street that afternoon.

  • September 2, 2016 at 8:35 pm
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    That last scene in TFA gets me every time, more for each time as well.

    • September 3, 2016 at 7:32 am
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      Same with me.

    • September 3, 2016 at 2:25 pm
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      frequently I just watch this last scene….over and over….

  • September 2, 2016 at 9:30 pm
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    I stayed away from Episode 7 spoilers, but someone posted on Facebook that Hamill is only in the movie for 30 seconds. I was livid, and almost didn’t want to see the movie because I thought it was a cruel f-you to the fans by Disney.

    Then when I finally saw TFA opening night and the ending worked for me. The more I watch it, the more I love the ending, and now I think its a stroke of brilliance. It goes to show that a spoiler doesn’t give you the context of the scene or the movie.

  • September 2, 2016 at 11:00 pm
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    God bless Mark Hamill. He’s quite clever you know…for a human being. 🙂

  • September 3, 2016 at 12:28 am
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    Did anyone ask why his reads in The Killing Joke were so utterly terrible? I mean, not that better rhythm from him would have helped that train-wreck much, but, man, that was not a good performance.

  • September 3, 2016 at 4:56 am
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    it would have been absolutely brilliant if Mark’s appearance in the film was unexpected. That would have been the greatest twist of all time. But we all expected way more screen time with him. When I heard the rumours that he pops up in the end I figured no way, they wouldn’t hype him up joining the film just for that! Holy crap was I surprised. I still enjoyed VII but I am hoping for a much better film when VIII comes out

    • September 3, 2016 at 7:32 am
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      Hey, it’s not like they included him in the marketing.

    • September 3, 2016 at 10:00 am
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      I agree!!! JJ or other director(?!) didnt shoot the Luke’s scene in TFA so well…Its a very plain and predictable sequence . I was hoping to see LUKE meditating on the Force or somethinh in the end of 7

  • September 3, 2016 at 2:23 pm
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    I love this guy. Since 1983 I wanted be “the last of the Jedi knights”, and I didn´t even know the actor is such a lovely guy.

  • September 4, 2016 at 4:20 pm
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    Hah… I love the “Oh my God, I’ve been drafted.”

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