Mark Hamill has revealed why he returned as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian – and compared the cameo to Goldfinger and Dr. No in the James Bond franchise.
"The reason I did Mandalorian was that Luke had a beginning and an end. There was no middle... You never got to see Luke as a Master Jedi at the peak of his powers," Hamill explained to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hamill appeared as a de-aged version of Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian season 2 finale back in 2020, when he helps the titular duo get out of a fix with some Dark Troopers. Grogu then leaves with him and R2-D2 to complete his Jedi training.
"It was like making a trilogy about James Bond as a young boy who first became aware of the Secret Service and wanted to be a part of it," Hamill continued. "Part two was him training to be an agent. Part three is earning his license to kill – the end. No From Russia With Love, Dr. No or Goldfinger.
"You never got to see Luke as a Master Jedi at the peak of his powers. He was the most idealistic character in that series. He was someone who would take adversity and double down and come back and counter his setbacks. We didn’t see any of that. So when I got the chance, I thought, 'Geez, this is wonderful.'"
As for the future of the show, The Mandalorian season 4 is still up in the air, but we know we'll definitely be reuniting with Din Djarin and his tiny green companion sooner rather than later in a new movie: The Mandalorian & Grogu. Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White will star alongside Pedro Pascal, and Favreau is directing.
The Mandalorian & Grogu arrives in theaters on May 22, 2026. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the other upcoming Star Wars movies and shows on the way.
