Star Wars Episode 9: Will Mark Hamill appear as a Luke force ghost?

Star Wars fans and aficionados alike have been trying to predict Luke’s return in Episode IX since the end of The Last Jedi.

Mark Hamill’s newest tweet has split fans down the middle as to whether or not he’ll return.

Will Mark Hamill appear as a Luke force ghost?

Mark Hamill, who played Skywalker, recently shared a photo of himself freshly shaven.

The picture has led to plenty of speculation, with some fans claiming the lack of the Luke Skywalker-hermit-beard means he won’t be appearing in the sequel.

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However, others think the beard has nothing to do with it.

Given Luke’s appearance as a force ghost may be simply a cameo, there’s plenty of time for him to regrow a beard in time to film the scene.

Not to mention cameos tend to be shot towards the end of filming, partly to keep secrets under wraps.

Those in the ‘no appearance’ camp cite an interview Hamill gave to Games Radar, discussing Luke’s story in The Last Jedi in which he said:”There’s such a sense of closure, Luke’s story is told. What more can I do?

“And you know, you have to start disconnecting from it emotionally…The main thing [that shocked me in Star Wars: The Force Awakens] was – Han Solo is killed!

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“I’ll never get to work with Harrison again. Luke will never see Han again. That’s what struck me, that was the first break, we lost a member of the band.

“And then what happened with Luke [in The Last Jedi], I said ‘Ok, that’s the next link’ when I was still thinking I’ll come back as a Force ghost.

“And then to lose Carrie in real life, I said ‘That’s it’. They say you can never go home again, and that for me was the real indication that it’s time to move on.”

However, in March 2018, a month before the above interview, Hamill tweeted a series of photos with the final one captioned as Senior Citizen Jedi Pension-Plan Future Force-Ghost Luke.

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Given both of these things took place long after Fisher’s death and Han Solo’s murder at the hands of his own son, the two seem to be in direct conflict with each other.

Not to mention he’s also been quoted saying: “But it seemed like the potential of Luke crossing into a new realm, that offers exciting possibilities for the role he plays in the coming chapter.

“No one’s ever really gone. Again, I’m not writing the script, so I don’t know. But as a fan, I would hope [he returns],” he added.

Whether you want him back or not, or believe he’ll be back or not, one thing is for sure: expect the unexpected when it comes to Star Wars.

Star Wars Episode IX is in cinemas Thursday, December 19, 2019.