Earlier this week, we reported that Harrison Ford appears to be on board for Star Wars: Episode VII. As noted in The Hollywood Reporter, the status of Mark Hamill is a bit more uncertain. Unlike Ford, Hamill has elected to discuss his negotiations with the press, explaining that writer Michael Arndt and producer Kathleen Kennedy have postponed several scheduled meetings to discuss the project with the actor. Hamill chalks this up to their busy schedules, but it seems just as likely that they’re avoiding these negotiations until they’ve had a chance to determine (with director J.J. Abrams) how Luke Skywalker might fit into the next Star Wars film.
Hamill seems to be completely in the dark about Episode VII. In his one conversation about the project with George Lucas, he was (1) asked if he’d be interested in returning and (2) told that he could be written out if he’s not interested. While Lucas probably meant this as a gesture of respect, it also suggests that Hamill is somewhat disposable, a thought that many die-hard fans—of the character, if not Hamill’s acting—would refute.
As for the film itself, Hamill speculates that his character will be an Obi-Wan-style mentor figure. He also laments the lack of suitable mates in the franchise and the limits this places on his character. “When I found out that ultimate good news/bad news joke—the good news is there’s a real attractive, hot girl in the universe; the bad news is she’s your sister—I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to wind up like Sir Alec. I’m going to be a lonely old hermit living out in some kind of desert igloo with a couple of robots.’”
