Star Wars: Mark Hamill Claims Luke's 'Episode IX' Return is in J.J. Abrams' Hands

One of the biggest surprises audiences earned when they saw The Last Jedi was the death of Luke Skywalker, using his final moments to project an image of himself to Crait to stall Kylo Ren long enough for the Resistance to escape. When it comes to Star Wars, things aren't always as they seem, as many characters have returned from beyond the grave in a variety of ways. As far as whether or not that means Luke will appear in Episode IX, Mark Hamill claims that's all up to director J.J. Abrams.

"Listen, if you can't have fun making a Star Wars movie, you have a serious problem. I had a blast," Hamill shared with ABC News about if he'd like to return to the saga. "Put in a good word for me because it's all in J.J.'s hands."

Hamill isn't the only one wishing Luke could somehow appear in Episode IX, as The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson also awaits the character's return in some form.

"I'm not writing the script, so I don't know," Johnson shared with Variety about what the future holds for Luke. "But as a fan, I would hope so."

Many fans were disappointed to see not just Luke's death, but the discovery that Luke had tried to cut ties with the Jedi following his failure to teach Ben Solo the ways of the Jedi Order. Despite fan outcry, Abrams claims this "backlash" won't be a factor in developing his film.

"Not in the least," Abrams told IndieWire if he was adjusting his film to fans' expectations. "There's a lot that I would like to say about it, but I feel like it's a little early to be having the Episode IX conversation … I will say that the story of Rey and Poe and Finn and Kylo Ren — and if you look, there are three men and one woman, to those that are complaining that there are too many women in Star Wars — their story continues in a way that I couldn't be more excited about and cannot wait for people to see."

Fans will have to wait until Episode IX's release on December 20, 2019 to see if Luke makes a return to the saga.

Do you think Luke should reemerge as a Force ghost or stay dead? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T Twitter, Calyton_Sandell]