Star Wars: Mark Hamill Confirms 'The Force Awakens' Originally Ended Differently
Throughout the entirety of The Force Awakens, fans waited for Luke Skywalker to return to the [...]
Throughout the entirety of The Force Awakens, fans waited for Luke Skywalker to return to the screen for the first time in 30 years, only for him to remove his hood and stare intensely at Rey. During a recent interview with Empire, Mark Hamill teased that the film originally ended much differently, potentially confirming a rumor that Luke offered Rey a warm welcome.
"There was something that happened at the end of The Force Awakens when I'm standing on the cliff," Hamill shared. "I called [The Last Jedi writer/director] Rian [Johnson] in a panic because it was all wrong. He said, 'It's okay, I spoke to [The Force Awakens director] J.J. [Abrams] and he's taking that scene out.' It just didn't match up with what Rian had written."
Earlier this year, Johnson revealed that, when he found out how The Force Awakens ended, he made a request that Abrams make a slight tweak. The modification related specifically to Rey's companion on her journey, which had nothing to do with Luke's reaction.
"Yes … The big [favor] was, I asked if R2 could come with Rey, and if BB-8 could stay behind with the Resistance," Johnson told Entertainment Weekly. "Originally it was BB-8 who went with Rey, which makes sense for the story in a way. But I asked, 'Can you do me this solid and switch the droids?'"
Earlier this year, however, a rumor began circulating that there was another drastic change made to the ending. A user named "Dent" shared on AwardsWatch:
"Well, there has been scuttlebutt that as originally filmed the way that scene resolved was somewhat more definitive (it involved Luke taking the lightsaber from Rey and possibly a hug as well), but that Johnson requested it be more ambiguous because of where he wanted to take the relationship between Luke and Rey in this film, and so it was reshot."
Hamill's comments to Empire seem to line up much more with the idea that there was a big tonal change in the ending, as opposed to the specific droid that Rey brought with her.
Perhaps once The Last Jedi debuts, details about the original ending of The Force Awakens will be revealed.
The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15.