Mark Hamill to George Lucas: 'Are you nuts?'

Herald online

1 Nov, 2012 09:50 PM2 mins to read

Mark Hamill says he was told about new Star Wars films in August by George Lucas. Photo / Supplied

One of the stars of the original Star Wars trilogy says he asked director George Lucas if he was "nuts" when he said he was planning a third trilogy in the popular sci-fi series.

Lucas announced on Tuesday he was selling his company LucasFilm to Disney for $4.05 billion, and that included a series of new Star Wars films - the first hitting cinemas in 2015. Lucas will act as a creative consultant on the new films.

But Mark Hamill - who played Luke Skywalker in the first three Star Wars films, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi - says Lucas told him about his plans back in August.

"Last August (George) asked Carrie and I to have lunch with him and we did," Hamill told Entertainment Weekly.

"I thought he was going to talk about either his retirement or the Star Wars TV series that I've heard about - which I don't think we were going to be involved in anyway ..."

Hamill said he asked Lucas if he was crazy.

"So when he said, 'We decided we're going to do Episodes VII, VIII and IX,' I was just gobsmacked. 'What? Are you nuts?!'," Hamill said.

"I guess he wanted us to know before everybody else knew. He said, 'Now you can't tell anybody!' Even now I'm nervous about saying anything. I just don't know!"

Hamill said he had mixed feelings about the Star Wars series continuing after the "happy ending" of Return of the Jedi.

"I can see both sides of it. Because in a way, there was a beginning, a middle, and an end and we all lived happily ever after and that's the way it should be - and it's great that people have fond memories, if they do have fond memories.

"But on the other hand, there's this ravenous desire on the part of the true believers to have more and more and more material. It's one of those things: People either just don't care for it or are passionate about it.

"I guess that defines what cult movies are all about. We'll see."