'Star Wars: Episode 9': Rian Johnson on Luke's return

The question about Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) may no longer be about if whether he will return in “Star Wars: Episode 9,” as the focus may shift to the question of how he will return. In a recent interview, Rian Jonson talked about how the decision to kill the character has opened up many options in the final film in the new trilogy.

In a previous interview, Johnson had said that the death of Luke is comparable to the death of Obi-Wan (Alec Guinness) in “A New Hope,” Bustle reports. The director of “The Last Jedi” explained that the death of Luke in his film seemed to open more options for the character, as against him fighting alongside the other heroes with a lightsaber against the First Order.

Johnson pointed out that he isn’t aware of what has been planned for the final film in the new trilogy. But, with the death of Luke; the Force Ghost option seems to be the best way to go for JJ Abrams.

Meanwhile, Hamill too has been teasing the return of his character. In a recent post on Twitter [see below], the actor teased a picture of his character meditating, a scene from “The Last Jedi.” He also added the dialogue “see you around kid,” which is the very last thing Luke says before his death. Hamill called this “foreshadowing,” which means that the fans may get to see him again in the next film.

Hamill had previously said that he doesn’t know if he will be reprising his role in the next film, but he revealed that he had suggested his character’s death be pushed to “Episode 9.” The actor had explained to the filmmakers that Luke’s death in “The Last Jedi” means that he has a beginning and an end in the new trilogy, without the crucial middle part of the arc. By this logic, the character may come back at least once to complete the story arc.