Mark Hamill Doesn't "Care Anymore" About Returning to the Star Wars Series
One of the most exciting developments about the Star Wars sequel trilogy has been seeing our [...]
One of the most exciting developments about the Star Wars sequel trilogy has been seeing our favorite characters reunite after decades apart. Sadly, the passing of Carrie Fisher and demise of Harrison Ford's Han Solo prevents the original trio from appearing in the upcoming Episode IX, with star Mark Hamill having no interest in returning to the series with those reunion opportunities no longer possible.
"It really has tarnished my ability to enjoy it to its fullest," Hamill shared with ABC News of Fisher's passing. "You were asking earlier, 'Are you gonna come back?' I don't care anymore, on that level. Because Han Solo is gone, Luke is gone. You just can't get the band back together the way you wanted it to be, and it shouldn't be that way. It is what it is. Rather than being sorry that we can't have more of her, I'm just grateful that we had the time with her that we did."
Fisher passed away after the filming of The Last Jedi, forcing Lucasfilm and writer/director Rian Johnson to make the decision to edit her performance to create a more organic exit from the saga or leave her role intact. The decision was made to honor her final performance completely, putting the series in an interesting position of how to move forward with Leia Organa.
Hamill previously shared that the idea of replacing the character with another actress would be incredibly difficult, with Fisher being intrinsically linked with Leia.
"First of all, I don't know what the specific plans were for that character but just the way Han Solo was more prominent in [Episode] VII, Luke more prominent in VIII, we assumed Leia would be more prominent in IX, especially since the dynamic of having Kylo Ren as her son," Hamill shared with Collider. "I think it would be tough recasting Carrie because she is so indelibly linked to that character."
Not only is there an emotional difficulty of featuring the character in some capacity, Hamill also understands the practical problems.
"They've already ruled out of a computer-generated performance like they did with Peter Cushing [in Rogue One] so, gee, that's gotta be a really, not insurmountable problem, but I know that the script had been in development so that when we lost her they had to go back to square one," Hamill confirmed. "But she is irreplaceable, you know, as far as I'm concerned."
Fans will see what the future holds for both Luka and Leia when Episode IX hits theaters on December 20, 2019.
Are you hoping that Luke comes back for Episode IX? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!
[H/T ABC News]