Rian Johnson and Mark Hamill Discuss The Direction They Took with Luke Skywalker in THE LAST JEDI
This weekend fans flocked to movie theaters to watch Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Some people loved the movie, while others did not. Regardless of what side of the fence you landed on, you might want to get a little insight into what director Rian Johnson and Mark Hamill were thinking with the way they approached Luke Skywalker in the story. There will be spoilers, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, you probably won't want to read any futher.
Luke Skywalker is one of the most iconic movie characters ever and we see him demonstrate some powers of The Force that we've never seen before, which was so cool! That showdown on the mineral planet of Crait betwen Luke and Kylo Ren was so freakin' badass! I love how that final showdown played out like something you'd see in a classic western.
Then there's that great line from Skywalker to Kylo, “If you strike me down in anger, I will always be with you. Just like your father.” But, as you know Kylo can't strike him down because Luke is projecting himself from across the galaxy! He's not physically there!
Using this power ends up taking a toll on Luke physically and after he accomplishes what he wanted to accomplish, he sits on a rock looking out on the horizon at the double-sun sunset where he gives up the ghost. This beautifully shot scene was an echo of his younger self in the classic 1977 film A New Hope where we saw him looking out into the distance at the twin suns on Tatooine while he dreamed of embarking on an adventure.
That brought an end to the Jedi's journey. When talking about Luke Skywalker's end in an interview with EW, Rian Johnson explains:
“I had huge hesitance. I was terrified. It was a growing sense of dread when I realized this was going to make sense in that chapter.”
Johnson went on to say that the decision didn't come lightly and he had discussed it extensively with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and members of the Star Wars story group before he committed himself to it. Obviously, everyone at Lucasfilm thought that this was the right direction.
“It was not like I wrote the script and dropped it on their desk. It was very important to me that I was collaborating with the folks at Lucasfilm from the word go. I moved to San Francisco for a few months and would go in a few times a week to keep them up to date, spewing my ideas out, especially the big ones.”
Johnson said that his goal for Luke Skywalker's finale was to push "the audience and thus the character.” Hamill went on to joke:
“Well, I’m still in denial. I just think he transported somewhere else.”
After joking that Luke Skywalker transported to present day New York City, the director explained that he thought the hero's journey for Luke concluded with Return of the Jedi:
“I think the hero’s journey of Luke Skywalker concluded in Return of the Jedi. This [trilogy] is the hero’s journey of Rey, and Finn, and Poe. The [ongoing] story of Luke is one that has to play in tandem with that of Rey.”
I know a lot of fans do not like this aspect of the story. But there's a chance that we might not have seen the last of Luke Skywalker. He could return in Episode IX as a Force Ghost. Hamill went on to say that he sees a hint about Episode IX in Luke’s final words to Kylo Ren, explaining:
“I’m just still holding on to the line, ‘See you around, kid.’ I can be in Episode Nine! I might consider catering the film just so I can hang out.”
What are your thought's on Lucasfilm's decision to to kill off Luke Skywalker at the end of The Last Jedi? Do you think J.J. Abrams will bring him back for Episode IX in some capacity?