Information regarding ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ is hard to come by, and while rumors from “sources” have been flying about as to who may return and who will get their own spin off movies, they remain just that: rumors. So when news that Luke Skywalker may be appearing in the film is coming from the man himself, that’s news to perk up to! While promoting his film ‘Sushi Girl’, Hamill states that the filming another ‘Star Wars’ trilogy is rather exciting:
“It’s all very, very exciting and so unexpected. 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.”
A while back it was revealed that George Lucas did meet with Hamill and Carrie Fischer to let them know that a new trilogy was in the works and he had asked what their interest may be. Hamill pitched for a return to the way the original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy was at least in the matter of the tone of the film:
“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. And another thing I’d want to make sure of is, are we going to have the whole gang back? Is Carrie and Harrison and Billy Dee 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.”
As to whether he will be definitively starring in ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’, Hamill confirmed that he, along with cast members Harrison Ford and Carrie Fischer, have been approached and negotiations are in progress:
“They’re talking to us. George [Lucas] wanted to know whether we’d be interested. He did say that if we didn’t want to do it, they wouldn’t cast another actor in our parts – they would write us out. … I can tell you right away that we haven’t signed any contracts. We’re in the stage where they want us to go in and meet with Michael Arndt, who is the writer, and Kathleen Kennedy, who is going to run Lucasfilm. Both have had meetings set that were postponed — on their end, not mine. They’re more busy than I am.”
While there were numerous jokes about J.J. Abrams’ lens flare technique once he was announced as the director, one thing about him is that he tends to not rely too heavily on CGI and still uses practical sets and props as opposed to a lot of green screen. This is something that Hamill is hoping for in the film as he is a fan of the old school technique:
“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.”
From Hamill’s lips to Michael Arndt’s ears (or maybe it should be Micky’s ears), what the Jedi Knight is proposing sounds like a great starting point. While Hamill admits he knows nothing of the plot of the film (“I probably learn more from Entertainment Tonight than I do directly from Lucasfilm – like for instance, when George told us he wanted to do the next trilogy, he didn’t tell us it was going to be done for Disney. He saved that little nugget, and I read it online like anybody else”), he is very in tune to what the fans want and hopefully some of his suggestions will be incorporated in the movie.
For more from Hamill, you can head over to ET to read the complete interview including which ‘Star Wars’ character he’d like to see in a spin off movie!
So what are your thoughts? Would you like to see the return of an older, more mature Luke Skywalker?
