For decades, Mark Hamill and Luke Skywalker have been inseparable in the minds of Star Wars fans. But as the franchise branches into more stories, more timelines, and more formats, that connection is quietly being phased out.
Mark Hamill hasn’t played Luke in a traditional sense since Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi in 2017. His “returns” in The Mandalorian Season 2 and The Book of Boba Fett (2021) were made possible through a mix of body doubles, voice synthesis, and cutting-edge de-aging. He was there—but he wasn’t really there. And that’s exactly the point.
Like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker before him, Luke is headed for recasting. It’s not a matter of if, but when.
Star Wars has already recast key legacy characters. Ewan McGregor became Obi-Wan and Hayden Christensen became Anakin in the prequels, and Alden Ehrenreich filled in as a younger Han Solo in the 2018 anthology film.
Most recently, even Bail Organa was recast in Andor Season 2, with Benjamin Bratt taking over from Jimmy Smits. Nobody is off-limits. Not even Luke Skywalker.
Upcoming projects like The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026), the untitled Rey Skywalker movie, and Star Wars: Starfighter—which stars Ryan Gosling and is rumored to feature connections to the original trilogy—could all make room for Luke in some shape or form. But the question is: who will play him?
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Hamill has previously said he doesn’t expect to return, and Lucasfilm has made no effort to suggest otherwise. And yet Luke continues to appear, digitally, artificially, sometimes even silently. That tells you everything you need to know about where this is headed.
Eventually, a new actor will put on the cloak. Maybe for a live-action Jedi Academy series. Maybe in a flashback during Rey’s training. Maybe just to lend his face to a new generation of stories. With all that said, Hamill continues to return to lend his vocal talents to Luke Skywalker in animated form in LEGO Star Wars.
Mark Hamill made Luke Skywalker iconic. But Star Wars is no longer built to last with one actor attached to one character. The legacy will continue. The face will change.
It’s only a matter of time.
Would you be happy to see a new actor take on the iconic role of Luke Skywalker? Let us know in the comments down below!
