Not My Luke Skywalker: Mark Hamill Details Creative Differences On THE LAST JEDI
***Caution: Spoilers For The Last Jedi Ahead***
Rian Johnson's Star Wars episode, The Last Jedi, has barely been out for a week, and it's already become a point of major controversy for many fans (who may or may not be manipulating user review scores to reflect their dissatisfaction with Episode VIII). This is totally understandable, as Johnson's made a blockbuster that actively bucks against the rules its legendary franchise has set forth, creating one of the more politically and narratively radical serial installments in some time.
Well, now it seems that viewers aren't the only ones who were experiencing some misgivings with the director of this latest Star War. There'd been rumblings regarding slight "creative differences" between Johnson and Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, leading up to the release of The Last Jedi. However, on a recent stop during the press tour, Hamill detailed what his problems were regarding the handling of Skywalker's "old man and the sea" chapter in his life.
Take a look at the video (though we've excerpted quotes below):
Here's the quote in question for the TL; DW crowd:
“I said to Rian: ‘Jedis don’t give up. I mean even if he had a problem he would maybe take a year to try and regroup, but if he made a mistake he would try and right that wrong.’ So right there we had a fundamental difference, but it’s not my story anymore. It’s somebody else’s story, and Rian needed me to be a certain way to make the ending effective. That’s the crux of my problem. Luke would never say that. I’m sorry. Well in this version, see I’m talking about the George Lucas Star Wars. This is the next generation of Star Wars, so I almost had to think of Luke as another character. Maybe he is Jake Skywalker.
He’s not my Luke Skywalker, but I had to do what Rian wanted me to do because it serves the story well, but listen, I still haven’t accepted it completely. But it’s only a movie. I hope people like it. I hope they don’t get upset, and I came to really believe that Rian was the exact man that they need for this job.”
Damn. That's kind of a loose cannon quote to have on your press tour. But given Skywalker's eventual fate in The Last Jedi, I'm pretty sure Hamill's feeling secure in saying whatever he feels at this point.
What's fascinating is that Johnson's thematic approach to rejecting the Star Wars of old in this updated text and injecting it with new heroes moving forward has made waves that are difficult to deny. It speaks to how strongly that storytelling focus came across even in the film's creation, which is a rarity in blockbuster movies these days. Johnson had a distinct vision, and made the picture he wanted to make. Now, it's all about how we process it, for better or worse.
