Mark Hamill on why his time as Luke Skywalker has come to an end

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Over the course of forty years, Mark Hamill has seen Luke Skywalker tranform from naive farm-boy to wise Jedi Master, but his time as the poster-boy of the franchise has come to an end. It's not exactly a big surprise given that Luke Skywalker is no longer with us, but through the magic of the Force, it would have been possible for Hamill to play the character for as long as he wanted.

The actor recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly to explain why he's saying goodbye to Luke Skywalker.

I had a beginning, middle, and end. Those films gave me far more than I ever expected when we started out so it's never even occurred to me. My farewell was in Episode IX and it was bittersweet. I love all those people and I certainly have affection for George and the character he created. I'm full of gratitude for what it has given me and my career but I don't want to be greedy. There are still so many more stories to tell and so many great actors to tell them, they don't need me."

Although Mark Hamill may have hung up his lightsaber, he's still a big fan of the franchise and seems particularly excited with what Jon Favreau and company are doing on The Mandalorian. "I think they have a wonderful advantage on The Mandalorian in that it's economical storytelling," Hamill said. "They don't have the burden of delivering a gigantic special effects extravaganza like the films had to do," he explains. "It sort of gets back to the basics of George envisioning it as a western in space. It has that tone of a Sergio Leone Western. I'm very impressed with it and to me, a very smart move on their part because you can't keep trying to top…It's like the superhero movies that have to deliver these gargantuan epics. And with The Mandalorian, they can concentrate more on the characters and the storytelling. I think it's excellent." Speaking of The Mandalorian, it was revealed last week that Temuera Morrison, who played Jango Fett and the Clone Troopers in ATTACK OF THE CLONES and REVENGE OF THE SITH, would be playing Boba Fett in the second season of the Disney+ series.