The Force has been stronger than ever this week, with talks of Mark Hamill reprising his role as Jedi Luke Skywalker in the upcoming Disney/Lucasfilm Star Wars flick currently known as “Episode VII.”
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hamill said that George Lucas had spoken with him and fellow original stars Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford about reprising the roles that first took them to a galaxy far, far away. Although no contracts have been signed, and Lucas assured the actors that if they didn’t want to participate, their characters would be omitted rather than recast, all signs seem to be pointing towards their return.
“It’s all very, very exciting and so unexpected,” Hamill said of the sudden likelihood that he’ll once again wield a lightsaber. “I think that’s the quality I like about it most – it’s like getting a pair of pants out of the closet you haven’t worn in three years and finding a $20 bill in the pocket. It’s just so unexpected.”
The balance of the force seems to rest not only with the real-life alter egos of Luke, Leia and Han, but also with writer Michael Arndt and producer Kathleen Kennedy from Lucasfilm. Both have set meetings with the stars, but talks are in the early stages.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Hamill also wants to be certain that it’s a full-fledged reunion. “Are we going to have the whole gang back?” he said of his thoughts. “Is Carrie and Harrison and Billy Dee (Williams) and Tony Daniels, everybody that’s around from the original (returning)? I want to make sure that everybody’s on board here, rather than just one.”
Hamill also insists that he would prefer that the new trilogy revisit the “carefree and lighthearted and humorous” tone of the original trilogy Star Wars movies.
Although the plot of “Episode VII” has not been revealed, Hamill has his own theories on what could be in store for his character. ”I said to George that I wanted to go back to the way it was, in the sense that ours was much more carefree and lighthearted and humorous – in my opinion, anyway,” said the “Big Red One” star. “I hope they find the right balance of CGI with practical effects. I love props, I love models, miniatures, matte paintings — I’m sort of old school. I think if you go too far in the direction of CGI it winds up looking like just a giant a video game, and that’s unfortunate. … If they listen to me at all, it’ll be, ‘Lighten up and go retro with the way it looks.”
As a Star Wars fan, I would love to see all the original actors reunited on screen all these years later. There was a natural chemistry between them that made the story believable, no matter how absurd the science fiction would sometimes become – and that’s extremely rare. So, keep your fingers crossed for a reunion – and May the Force be with us all.