Star Wars: Mark Hamill Wanted Luke to Be Blind in ‘The Last Jedi’

Following the announcement that Mark Hamill would return to the galaxy far, far away for The Force Awakens, fans immediately began to ponder what the Jedi had been up to for the last few decades, and even the actor himself had some thoughts of his own. One of his ideas, that was ultimately abandoned, was that he’d been blinded in some way since the events of Return of the Jedi.

“I had a brief idea I was chasing where I was like, ‘What if Luke is blind? What if he’s, like, the blind samurai?’” Hamill confirmed to Rolling Stone. “But we didn’t do it. You’re welcome. Didn’t stick.”

Hamill’s idea might not have been utilized for either The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi, but the actor was clearly on to something, with both the animated series Star Wars Rebels and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story utilizing blind wielders of the Force.

With the 30-year gap in Luke’s history, it was up to Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams to conjure a semblance of how the Jedi had been spending his time before Rey’s arrival on Ahch-To.

“I didn’t know – and I don’t think J.J. really knew – specifically what had happened in those 30 years,” Hamill pointed out. “Honestly, what I did was try and give J.J. a range of options. Neutral, suspicion, doubt … taking advantage of the fact that it’s all thoughts. I love watching silent films. Think of how effective they could be without dialogue.”

Not only was Hamill slightly disappointed that his idea wasn’t incorporated, but also that he was given so little to do in The Force Awakens.

“What a rip-off, I don’t get to run around the Death Star bumping heads with Carrie and Harrison anymore!” the actor joked of his reaction to the script.

Hamill eventually warmed up to the idea, realizing how exciting it was for Luke to be talked about the entire film and only show up in its final moments.

“I don’t want to say, ‘That’s the greatest entrance in cinematic history’ . . . but certainly the greatest entrance of my career,” Hamill admitted.

Fans will finally get to learn details about Luke’s past when The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15.

[H/T Rolling Stone]