Mark Hamill Thinks Star Wars Standalones Have An Advantage Over The Saga

When Lucasfilm first announced they were going to pursue standalone Star Wars films, fans were interested to see what would come from the announcement. Next week, they will finally get to see the fruits of Lucasfilm’s labor when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story warps into theaters, and fans have been pleasantly surprised by the movie’s promos so far. Moving forward, other spin-offs focusing on Han Solo and others will make their way into theaters, and it looks like the standalones have a major proponent in their corner thanks to Mark Hamill.

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The Star Wars actor recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight about Rogue One and explained why he felt the standalones have an advantage over the Skywalker Saga movies.

“I can’t wait. They have a real advantage being able to go in and do a one-off story because you don’t have to follow the trilogy model of a three-act play. They can really get it done, get off, and leave the audience wanting more. They have a chance to make it there own identity. This one looks like a really gritty World War II film,” he said.

“They have a chance to really branch out and stake out the territory for themselves, so I’m looking forward to it.”

When asked if he’s already seen Rogue One, Hamill admitted he was still in the dark like the rest of us. “I’ve only seen the trailers,” he said, “and it looks fantastic.”

Later in the interview, Hamill also took a moment to talk about Alden Ehrenreich, the up-and-coming actor who nabbed the role of young Han Solo in the character’s standalone film. Hamill said he met the actor briefly and believes he’ll do justice to the role, even if it does put plenty of expectations upon him.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set between the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and shortly before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. In the film, resistance fighters embark on a daring mission to steal the Empire’s plans for the Death Star.

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk and Jonathan Aris. The film is directed by Gareth Edwards and written by Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz, from a story conceived by John Knoll.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16, 2016.