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Mark Hamill Denies Luke's Demise in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Teases Episode IX Return


Star Wars: The Last Jedi is packed with surprising moments that fans never predicted but some were not thrilled with the changes, especially those who were hoping to find answers to the mysteries introduced in The Force Awakens. When it comes to Luke's final scene, fans seem to be split with the way it happened.

Warning: Spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi ahead.

In the final face-off between Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in Crait, the Jedi Master showed that there's much more to the Force than using lightsabers and levitating objects when he manifests a phantom form of himself to confront Kylo Ren.

Luke was able to stall the First Order so the Resistance could successfully escape.

The effort of manifesting a projection of himself across the galaxy exhausts the real Luke Skywalker that he later succumbs and vanishes away while looking out at the binary suns.

Director Rian Johnson and actor Mark Hamill recently spoke with EW's Anthony Breznican at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences about Luke's final scene in The Last Jedi and how they ended up with that decision.

"I had huge hesitance," Johnson admitted. "I was terrified. It was a growing sense of dread when I realized this was going to make sense in that chapter."

Johnson said that he discussed the ending with the members of the Star Wars story group and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy before committing to it.

"It was not like I wrote the script and dropped it on their desk. It was very important to me that I was collaborating with the folks at Lucasfilm from the word go," he explained. "I moved to San Francisco for a few months and would go in a few times a week to keep them up to date, spewing my ideas out, especially the big ones."

"Well, I'm still in denial," Hamill joked. "I just think he transported somewhere else."

Hamill has expressed denial about Luke's fate, but director Rian Johnson said that it was necessary to give more focus to the new characters as the new trilogy approaches its end. J.J. Abrams will write and direct Star Wars: Episode IX.

"The first thing I said was, ‘Can't you wait and do this in Episode IX?'" said Hamill.

"I'm just still holding on to the line, ‘See you around, kid.' I can be in Episode IX! I might consider catering the film just so I can hang out."

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now showing in theaters.

Read more: Star Wars: The Last Jedi Has The Saga's Lowest Audience Score, Lower Than Justice League

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