Mark Hamill confirms ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ talks: Nothing official yet

With rumors about Harrison Ford reprising his role as Han Solo in “Star Wars: Episode VII” still swirling, it’s only natural “Star Wars” fans should wonder about Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. That dream casting is far from official, but on Feb. 20 Mark Hamill confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that he has talked about the possibility with George Lucas.

"George [Lucas] wanted to know whether we'd be interested,” Hamill told Entertainment Tonight, his use of “we” presumably including at least Ford and Carrie Fisher. “He did say that if we didn't want to do it, they wouldn't cast another actor in our parts – they would write us out.”

“I can tell you right away that we haven't signed any contracts,” Hamill added. “We're in the stage where they want us to go in and meet with Michael Arndt, who is the writer, and Kathleen Kennedy, who is going to run Lucasfilm. Both have had meetings set that were postponed — on their end, not mine. They're more busy than I am."

That’s not to say Hamill hasn’t thought a lot about Disney’s planned trilogy, of which “Star Wars: Episode VII” will be the first film, or the planned “Star Wars” spinoffs.

In talking about the former, the 61-year-old actor said he imagines Luke would be not unlike Alec Guinness’ Obi-Wan Kenobi. He’d like to see the return of all central members of the original cast; he specifically mentioned Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Daniels.

As for the overall he’s prefer the trilogy return to the tone of the first three movies, describing them as “carefree and lighthearted and humorous.” He also expressed the hope that the new films will find a balance between CGI and “practical effects.”

In talking about the stand-alone "Star Wars" films, Hamill expressed enthusiasm for the idea, citing the rich Lucas universe with its hundreds of characters upon which to draw.

But lest “Star Wars” fans think that bringing Hamill on board is a done deal – let alone other cast members from the original trilogy – the actor did offer this disclaimer:

"I probably learn more from Entertainment Tonight than I do directly from Lucasfilm – like for instance, when George told us he wanted to do the next trilogy, he didn't tell us it was going to be done for Disney. He saved that little nugget, and I read it online like anybody else."

Of course, the comments reflect the actor’s personal statements rather than an official word from Disney or Lucasfilm. And Hamill has previously gone on record about Lucas contacting the three principal stars about the new trilogy.

But the fact these discussions happened with Lucas – and Hamill is going on record that meetings with Kennedy and Arndt were at one point scheduled – is promising for fans who would like to see the original “Star Wars” stars have a presence in “Episode VII.”

Directed by J.J. Abrams, “Star Wars: Episode VII” will be released to theaters summer 2015.

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