Latest news with #RiseofSkywalker
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mark Hamill Rules Out Doing More ‘Star Wars'
Don't expect to see Luke Skywalker in any of the upcoming films Lucasfilm has planned — even as a spectral Force Ghost. The 73-year-old actor, who has appeared in five live-action Star Wars films and made de-aged cameos in The Mandalorian TV series, suggested that Skywalker's run is over — and should be over. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Andor' Team Breaks Down Their Favorite Series Moments, Including That Mon Mothma Speech Ryan Reynolds Wants Disney to "Gamble" on an R-Rated 'Star Wars' Project Disney, Epic Games Using AI to Bring James Earl Jones' Darth Vader Voice to 'Fortnite' 'I am so grateful to [creator George Lucas] for letting me be a part of that back in the day, the humble days when George called Star Wars 'the most expensive low-budget movie ever made,'' said Hamill during an interview with to promote his new film, the Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck. 'We never expected it to become a permanent franchise and a part of pop culture like that. But my deal is, I had my time. I'm appreciative of that. But I really think they should focus on the future and all the new characters. 'And by the way,' he added, 'when I disappeared in [The Last Jedi], I left my robes behind. And there's no way I'm gonna appear as a naked Force ghost.' The comments come despite Lucasfilm developing a film that would be an obvious project for Skywalker to appear in — a Rise of Skywalker follow-up focused on Daisy Ridley's Rey, who was Skywalker's mentee in the sequel trilogy. The film from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy picks up roughly 15 years after the events in Skywalker and follows Rey's efforts to build a new Jedi order. The New Order film is only in development, however, along with many other titles. Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy previously teased the film, saying, 'Well, we're 15 years out from Rise of Skywalker, so we're post-war, post-First Order, and the Jedi are in disarray. And, there's a lot of discussion around, 'Who are the Jedi? What are they doing? What's the state of the galaxy?' And, [Rey]'s attempting to rebuild the Jedi Order, based on the books, based on what she promised Luke, so that's where we're going.' The next confirmed Star Wars title is The Mandalorian & Grogu coming May 22, 2026, followed a year later by Star Wars: Starfighter from Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling. Regarding Hamill's joking comment about leaving his robes behind, he and the late Carrie Fisher appeared as force ghosts at the end of Rise of Skywalker, and he indeed was robed. And hardcore Star Wars fans will counter that in 1977's A New Hope, when Darth Vader killed Obi-Wan Kenobi, his robes were also left behind — but Alec Guinness still appeared in his robes when he showed up as a Force Ghost in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Hamill's career has been busier than ever the last few years. The Life of Chuck is a sci-fi adaptation of a Stephen King story from Hamill's The Fall of the House of Usher filmmaker Mike Flanagan this month. He also stars in another King adaptation, the long-awaited adaptation of the author's cult favorite novel The Long Walk, which is out in September. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
CNN
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
The ‘Star Wars' chief is staying on at Disney, despite a report that she's leaving. At least for now
Rumors that Lucasfilm's longtime president may be leaving Disney have swirled for quite some time. But reports that Kathleen Kennedy will retire at the end of her contract may be jumping the gun. Puck reported Tuesday that Kennedy, who is 72, is expected to step down as president of the storied production company behind the 'Star Wars' franchise before the end of 2025. Several news publishers have followed with their own reports. But a source familiar with the matter tells CNN that's not the case, emphasizing that 'there's nothing there right now.' Any announcement of Kennedy's retirement, if indeed there's anything to announce, will be made 'public' when 'actual decisions are made,' the source told CNN. Lucasfilm did not respond to a request for comment and a spokesperson for Disney did not comment for this story. Kennedy joined Lucasfilm in 2012 as co-chair alongside George Lucas before being named president shortly after Lucas parted ways with the company following Disney's $4-billion acquisition of the company the same year. Kennedy has been hailed for rejuvenating the 'Star Wars' franchise after she helped launch the latest trilogy in the 'Star Wars' universe. While the three installments of the sequel trilogy were massive successes at the domestic box office, the movies were plagued with diminishing returns, with 2015's 'The Force Awakens' from J.J. Abrams pulling in just over $936 million, followed by $620 million for 2018's 'The Last Jedi,' and $515 million for 2019's 'Rise of Skywalker.' Still, the three sequel movies pulled in more domestically than any of the three prequel films. Under Kennedy, Lucasfilm released a new 'Star Wars' movie every year from 2015 to 2019, though these likewise were met with mixed success. Where critics heaped praise on Lucasfilm's 2016 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,' which nabbed over $532 million at the domestic box office, they were less kind with the company's 2018 'Solo: A Star Wars Story,' which made a humble $213 million domestically. 'Solo,' whose budget was at least $250 million, to say nothing of its pricey marketing campaign, was also the first 'Star Wars' movie to lose money. Still, as 'Star Wars' movies saw diminishing returns on the silver screen, Lucasfilm pivoted to focus on streaming, debuting its first season of 'The Mandalorian' on Disney+ in November 2019 just as Disney's streaming platform launched. Since then, Lucasfilm has put out five other live-action shows, including two more 'Mandalorian' seasons, 'The Book of Boba Fett,' 'Obi-Wan Kenobi,' and 'Ahsoka.' While not all of Lucasfilm's series have achieved acclaim — 'The Acolyte' was canceled in August after just one season and mixed reviews — the company recently released a trailer for the much-anticipated second season of 'Andor,' which is set to premiere on Disney+ on April 22. Making the most of the streaming success of 'The Mandalorian,' Lucasfilm in 2024 announced it was working on a feature installment of the series, 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' from Jon Favreau, its first movie release since 2019.
