As we await the arrival of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in December, one of the big topics of interest is the return of Luke Skywalker. After his reappearance at the end of The Force Awakens, Luke will be in a very different, much darker place in The Last Jedi, which has got fans intrigued to see where the movie will take him. Likewise, Leia’s role in the film will be an important one as it will tragically be Carrie Fisher’s final appearance in the saga.
That said, fans should remember that the classic characters will not be the focus of The Last Jedi as the story really belongs to the new generation. In particular, Daisy Ridley’s Rey, John Boyega’s Finn and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren. Mark Hamill was keen to remind people of this when chatting with The Vancouver Sun, saying the following:
“[I]t’s not about us anymore. In this new one, I was saying to [writer/director] Rian Johnson: I need to know my backstory. It was kind of unclear. You read where he is now and what he’s doing now and sort of have to fill in the blanks for yourself. So I did do a backstory myself. It’s not about Luke anymore, so it’s not really important. But I had to make sense of it for myself.”
Hamill’s comments heavily imply that most of what has been discussed about Luke’s development since the original trilogy will not feature in the movie itself, as it was just an acting tool for him to get into character. While that might sound disappointing to some, it’s definitely the right decision for the sequel. Luke’s had his time in the spotlight and now it’s Rey’s turn. Plus, Luke’s journey to Ahch-To can always be explored in the comics.
Hamill also confirmed just how much Skywalker has changed and teased what portion of the character’s history will remain unknown to fans (and presumably himself):
“Luke changed, I think, more than the other characters in the original trilogy, from callow farm boy to a Jedi in training to finally a Jedi master. What you’re talking about is what really fascinated me. Between Return of the Jedi and Force Awakens, there’s just decades of history that’s unknown.”
Said to balance the “familiar with the unfamiliar” and lay down a new series of rules for this most precious of cinematic universes, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been penciled in for release on December 15th. It’ll be followed in relatively quick succession by Ron Howard’s Han Solo spinoff, before Colin Trevorrow’s brings the curtain down on Disney’s rebooted trilogy with the release of Episode IX in May of 2019.