'Dinner For Five' Flashback: J.J. Abrams & Mark Hamill Talk 'Star Wars' in 2005
The Force awakened with a vengeance after the final trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiered earlier this week. Directed by J.J. Abrams and featuring the long-awaited return of the franchise’s beloved Holy Trinity — Han (Harrison Ford), Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Luke (Mark Hamill) — The Force Awakens is a blockbuster two years in the making. But, courtesy evidence unearthed by The A.V. Club, we’re wondering if the origins date back a full decade to 2005. In June of that year, Abrams and Hamill broke bread on an episode of Jon Favreau’s IFC series, Dinner for Five. Flanked by fellow guests Stan Lee and Jason Lee and guest host Kevin Smith (sitting in for an absent Favreau), the quintet discussed such subjects as the early days of Marvel Comics and Abrams’s status as the King of ABC, having just created the monster hit series, Lost.
Of course, with Luke Skywalker in attendance, the conversation inevitably turned to Star Wars, a timely subject since Revenge of the Sith had just been released in theaters the previous month, bringing George Lucas’s controversial prequel trilogy to a close. Smith mentions to Hamill that they’re rumored to be collaborating on a TV show to be set in that would take place Episode III and Episode IV. (Jump to the 11-minute mark to hear the full discussion.) Notice how quickly Abrams’ interest is piqued; “What is this?” he asks, looking intently at his host. (It’s worth remembering that Abrams is still a year away from making his own feature film debut, at this point; his first blockbuster, Mission: Impossible III, would not be released until the following summer.)
Both Smith and Hamill shoot down the rumors, and go on to talk about one of the actor’s big regrets: that Luke never completely gave into the Dark Side. “I pitched that to George,” he says. “As an actor, that would be more fun to play. I just thought that’s the way it was going. I figured that’s what will be the pivotal moment; I’ll have Han Solo in my crosshairs and I’ll be about to kill him.” Fan theory alert! A much-dissected moment from The Force Awakens trailer features new star, Daisy Ridley, weeping over what appears to be a dead body who some believe may belong to Han. Apparently, Abrams must have taking careful notes under the table during this dinner…
Interestingly, the Star Wars discussion winds to a close on a somewhat downbeat note as Hamill confesses he’s a little over the Skywalker saga. “If I were still working on it, it might be different. I want to be supportive without being critical, but it’s not mine anymore.” Flash forward ten years, and the franchise now belongs to Abrams, and he’s bringing Hamill along for the ride. Talk about your memorable meals.
