More than 30 years after he’d last played the role, Mark Hamill had a much darker idea for Luke Skywalker’s life in Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017).
The Emmy winner recalled his pitch for writer/director Rian Johnson about where Luke’s life had taken him in the years since Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983) that would make him turn his back on the Force before returning in Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015).
“I thought, what could make someone give up a devotion to what is basically a religious entity, to give up being a Jedi,” he explained on the Bullseye podcast.
“Well, the love of a woman,” Hamill continued. “So, he falls in love with a woman. He gives up being a Jedi. They have a child together. At some point the child, as a toddler, picks up an unattended lightsaber, pushes the button, and is killed instantly. The wife is so full of grief, she kills herself.”
Hamill’s latest interview comes after he shot down any hopes of Luke returning for another installment in the Disney and Lucasfilm franchise, after the character died during a pivotal moment in The Last Jedi, becoming one with the Force.
“I am so grateful to George [Lucas] for letting me be a part of that back in the days, the humble days when George called Star Wars ‘the most expensive low-budget movie ever made,’” he told ComicBook.com. “We never expected it to become a permanent franchise and a part of pop culture like that. But my view is, I had my time. I’m appreciative of that, but I really think they should focus on the future and all the new characters.”
Hamill jokingly added, “And by the way, when I disappeared in [The Last Jedi], I left my robes behind. And there’s no way I’m gonna appear as a naked Force ghost. I’m just letting you know that right now.”