Mark Hamill may have moved on from playing Luke Skywalker, but he is still paying attention to where Star Wars goes next.
The actor, who first appeared as Luke in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), has become one of the faces most closely associated with the franchise. Even after stepping away from the role, Hamill continues to speak openly about the future of the saga and the people leading it.
Hamill returned to the franchise in recent years through Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Lucasfilm also used digital effects to recreate a younger Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
Despite those appearances, Hamill has made it clear that he does not expect to return in a major way. In 2025, he told ComicBook.com, “I had my time.”
That has not stopped him from sharing his thoughts on the direction of the franchise.
Mark Hamill Thinks Star Wars Is in Good Hands
During a recent interview with USA Today, Hamill praised Dave Filoni’s growing influence within Lucasfilm.
Hamill said he “can't think of better hands” for Star Wars, adding that Filoni understands the franchise “so well.”
He also pointed to Filoni’s long relationship with George Lucas. “George was a mentor to Dave, so he knows George's sensibility.”
Filoni first joined Lucasfilm in 2005 to help develop Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He later became a major creative force behind projects such as Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, and Ahsoka.
Today, Filoni serves as Lucasfilm’s chief creative officer and co-president alongside Lynwen Brennan. His role has only grown as the studio continues to shift toward interconnected streaming series and new theatrical releases.
One of the next projects connected to Filoni is Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord. The series draws from ideas Filoni previously discussed with George Lucas.
Speaking to StarWars.com, Filoni explained how Lucas shaped the project.
“Maul is a character that's our responsibility,” Filoni said. “George [Lucas] and I had had some talks about Maul over the years and what his plans for Maul had been. And so I felt it was a way of honoring that future that we were going to have and finally bringing some of it to light.”
Luke Skywalker Could Still Return
Even if Hamill has stepped away from the role, Luke Skywalker still has a large place in the Star Wars timeline.
Stories set between Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) and The Force Awakens remain largely unexplored. That period includes Luke’s efforts to rebuild the Jedi Order and train a new generation of Force users.
Some fans have suggested that Lucasfilm could recast a younger version of Luke for future films or Disney+ shows. Others believe the studio may continue using digital de-aging or animation to keep the character involved.
There has also been speculation that Luke could appear as a Force ghost in Daisy Ridley’s upcoming Rey film.
Former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy addressed that possibility in 2023.
“I don't know if we'll spend a lot of time in flashbacks or Force ghosts or things like that, but certainly, the spirit of what he represents to her is going to be significant,” she told IGN.
Lucasfilm’s next film, The Mandalorian & Grogu, is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 22, 2026.
