“I finishEpisode 8, and then I’m out of work.” It’s something actorMark Hamillsaidon stage during a charity eventin London, and it’s something some took and ran with. Speculation about what Hamill might have meant by this range from, “He was just making a statement about his job status after filming commences on the nextStar Warsfilm,” to “Luke Skywalker is definitely going to die inEpisode 8because Hamill isn’t returning forEpisode 9.” To set the record straight and calm nerves, Hamill took to Twitter with some reassurance.
As it turns out, it was the former scenario. Hamillwrote:
Some fans are clearly on edge after the events ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens, which saw (spoiler!!) Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) embracing the Dark Side by killing his father, Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Luke, however, only popped in for the very last scene to set up the next film, which will likely see the last Jedi master training his new Padawan, Rey (Daisy Ridley). Does this mean Luke can’t die? Of course not. Perhaps he’ll end up following Obi-Wan’s lead and becoming a Force ghost or something. We should just – as Hamill advised with his hashtag game – not take everything so literally in the meantime.
Rian Johnson(Looper) is helmingEpisode 8, whileColin Treverrow(Jurassic World) is helmingEpisode 9. Also returning areJohn Boyega,Oscar Isaac,Gwendoline Christie,Dohmnall Gleeson,Lupita Nyong’o,Carrie Fisher,Anthony Daniels, andAndy Serkis, along with franchise newbiesBenicio Del Toro,Laura Dern, andKelly Marie Tran.
Star Wars: Episode VIII, which still needs an official subtitle, will wrap production soon ahead of its release on July 31, 2025. In the meantime, we haveRogue One, the first in a series of planned Star Wars anthology films.
