Mark Hamill Confirms Star Wars Talks

In a move sure to please die-hard original Star Wars fans, Mark Hamill confirmed Star Wars talks with George Lucas.

Director J.J. Abrams is set to head up the next three films in the Star Wars universe with a tentative release date set for 2015, and, if the job he did with the Star Trek reboot in 2009 is any indication, things are looking good for his upcoming Star Wars treatment.

Mark Hamill, who many readers know from the original trilogy as Luke Skywalker, recently confirmed that he was indeed approached by George Lucas about reprising his role as the famous Jedi in the upcoming films.

In a recent interview with ET Online, Hamill said:

“George [Lucas] wanted to know whether we’d be interested. He did say that if we didn’t want to do it, they wouldn’t cast another actor in our parts – they would write us out. … I can tell you right away that we haven’t signed any contracts. We’re in the stage where they want us to go in and meet with Michael Arndt, who is the writer, and Kathleen Kennedy, who is going to run Lucasfilm. Both have had meetings set that were postponed — on their end, not mine. They’re more busy than I am.”

Aside from the decision whether or not to sign on for another Star Wars film, Hamill also mentioned that he was curious as to whether or not the other actors from the original trilogy would be making their return to the franchise as well. He expressed sentiment that he would rather see everyone back on board for the new films rather than just one. Harrison Ford is even rumored to be reprising his role as Han Solo in the upcoming film.

According to IGN: The actor [Hamill] wouldn’t commit to saying that he knew precise details about the script and story for Episode VII, but his speculations are fairly close to the rumors that are now circulating.

The rumors referred to here are presumably those that the new films will focus on the Skywalker and Solo children and their story lines as laid out in the novels set in the Star Warsexpanded universe.

Regardless of the specific story line, hearing that Mark Hamill confirms talks with George Lucas is exciting for fans of the franchise. It will be interesting to see where Star Wars goes from here.

Which character would you most like to see return for the upcoming films?