Has TV’s Star Wars Universe Seen the Last of ‘Deep Fake’ Luke Skywalker?

Matt Webb Mitovich
·2 min read
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Mark Hamill appears to have powered down his lightsaber for good.

In recent, back-to-back interviews, the Star Wars icon has indicated he has no plans to play Luke Skywalker again — including, it seems, via the “deep fake” technology through which a thirtysomething has appeared in two of Disney+’s live-action series.

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“I had my time, and that’s good. But that’s enough,” Hamill shared this weekend on CBS Sunday Morning (watch full video down below).

“You never say never, but I just don’t see any reason to [play Luke again], let me put it that way,” Hamill added. “They have so many stories to tell, they don’t need Luke anymore.”

In addition to his creation of the role for the original Star Wars film trilogy, followed by appearances in the sequel trilogy, Hamill also reprised Luke in two live-action TV properties.

In The Mandalorian‘s Season 2 finale, a post-Return of the Jedi Luke resurfaced to take Grogu (fka Baby Yoda) away for training. That arc was eventually picked up in The Book of Boba Fett Episode 6, when we saw Luke training Grogu on an unnamed planet, with Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) at his side.

For both cameos, the 71-year-old Hamill was himself on-set, to act out the scenes/read Luke’s dialogue. But prior to that — and as detailed by the Disney+ special Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian — he was strapped into a contraption dubbed “The Egg,” which captured HD video of just his face reciting the lines, from assorted angles and with varying lighting. That film and data was then used to map Hamill’s performance, but with a younger Luke’s face, onto picture double/stuntman Matt Rugetti.

Hamill Dawson Ahsoka Luke Boba Fett
Hamill Dawson Ahsoka Luke Boba Fett

Speaking recently with Esquire, Hamill said he was “very impressed” with that de-aging technology. But he seems bearish on doing any more of it, and certainly not in a large capacity.

“People say, ‘Oh, now you’re going to be able to do a whole series of Luke post-Return of the Jedi.’ I said, ‘I don’t think so,'” Hamill told Esquire. “First of all, they don’t need to tell those stories, but if they do, they could get an age-appropriate actor.”

Hamill, though, noted that whether he is or isn’t doing more Star Wars is confidential, so he wouldn’t be able to confirm or deny regardless. And that applies to the recentlt announced feature film to be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, co-star Daisy Ridley as Rey, and which is set 15 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.

“We’ll all find out together, I guess.”

Launch Gallery: Star Wars TV Status Report: The Latest on <I>Ahsoka, Andor, Boba Fett</i> and Others

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