Who's ready for some big casting news from Star Wars: Episode IX? Here it is, straight from Mark Hamill himself.
On Wednesday, the actor tweeted "BREAKING NEWS: #StarWars #EpisodeIX writer/director JJ Abrams casts Empty Robe in latest installment of much anticipated space-saga."
BREAKING NEWS: #StarWars #EpisodeIX writer/director JJ Abrams casts Empty Robe in latest installment of much anticipated space-saga. pic.twitter.com/4YW2eO7Nlm
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) July 18, 2018
OK, so the actor who plays Luke Skywalker is just having a little fun with Star Wars devotees. He knows that despite (spoiler!) certain events of The Last Jedi, many viewers would like to see his character return to wrap up the space saga in December 2019. But with this joke, he seemed to hint that there's truly nothing left of Luke to show up.
Fans on Twitter appeared to take the joke in stride.
Teased one fan, "Wow! This movie is cloaked in mystery." And another slyly said, "I heard it fundamentally disagrees with the direction (director) JJ (Abrams) is taking it in, as it prefers to be folded and kept in a drawer and not hung in a closet."
I heard it fundamentally disagrees with the direction JJ is taking it in, as it prefers to be folded and kept in a drawer and not hung in a closet.
— John Hoey (@JohnnyHoey) July 18, 2018
Wow! This movie is cloaked in mystery
— Joshua Ray (@joshuaray) July 18, 2018
What the hell? Why cast an empty robe when Disney has this awesome cape just waiting for it's next role! pic.twitter.com/Xl79VipqID
— Tim Wright, Servant of Lathliss (@timswar) July 18, 2018
Give the cape a prequel.
— Dewey, Cheatem & Howe (@dbiibd) July 18, 2018
Help me, Empty Robe, you’re my only hope.
— Adam Stephen Kelly (@adz_kelly) July 18, 2018
*removes robe* "it's ol' man Kenobi, who runs the abandoned Jedi Temple!" *Points at force ghost*.
— Josh Thompson (@existencerased) July 18, 2018
"AND I WOULD'VE GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT TOO, IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU MEDDLIN' PADAWANS!"
As to whether Hamill will actually appear, even in flashback or as a Force ghost, no one, not even the robe, will say.
Hamill's joked about this before. In May, he tweeted a mock action-figure set that was low on both the action and the figure.
"IT'S OFFICIAL!!!" Hamill wrote then. "Episode 9: Return Of The "Dead" Guy CONFIRMED- Merchandising doesn't lie & this LUKE SKYWALKER (FORCE PROJECTED TO A NUDIST PLANET) Set including: Empty Robe-Meditation Rock & Missing Luke Figure DEFINITIVELY confirms my theory."
IT'S OFFICIAL!!! Episode 9: Return Of The "Dead" Guy CONFIRMED- Merchandising doesn't lie & this LUKE SKYWALKER (FORCE PROJECTED TO A NUDIST PLANET) Set including: Empty Robe-Meditation Rock & Missing Luke Figure DEFINITIVELY confirms my theory. #HasbroHamill pic.twitter.com/5TstDKsdKb
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) May 17, 2018
It's been a lively week for the actor. On Tuesday, Hamill thanked astronomer Roy A. Tucker, who announced last week he'd named an asteroid after the actor.
"Thanks so much Roy!" Hamill wrote in reply. "I looked for it last night, but the visibility in Malibu was too hazy for me to see it. I'll try again tonight." He signed off as "110026 Hamill," the full name given to the asteroid.
Thanks so much Roy! @gpobserver I looked for it last night, but the visibility in Malibu was too hazy for me to see it. I'll try again tonight. 👀 All the best, 110026 Hamill #KickAsteroid https://t.co/JhQ0wEZTw2
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) July 17, 2018
Star Wars: Episode IX, with or without Luke and his robe, is set to open Dec. 20, 2019.
