Latest news with #Jedi
Forbes
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Mark Hamill Has The Most Bizarre ‘The Last Jedi' Story Ever
The Last Jedi There's a lot of documentation about how dismissive Harrison Ford is of his time working on Star Wars (often in very funny ways), but have you ever heard Mark Hamill talk about it? It can go some…very weird places. Recently, Hamill talked a lot about his experience on The Last Jedi, specifically, on Bullseye on YouTube. He cleared the air about some issues, saying the rumor that he had some sort of problem with Rian Johnson and his vision for Luke was false. 'Nothing could be further from the truth,' and thatJohnson is 'one of the most gifted directors' he's ever worked with. Good to hear! But things get weird when Mark Hamill describes a story he invented in his own mind about why he thought Luke was so bitter about the Force and being a Jedi, hence the lightsaber toss at the start, his general demeanor toward training Rey and getting involved again in another galactic conflict. Here's the 'head cannon' he made for Luke's motivation: Uhh, what? Okayyy. I mean, not sure what to make of that. Not even sure it really makes sense. You hate the Jedi and the Force because…you stored your lightsaber improperly, and your kid got to it? Also, this happens after he gives up being a Jedi because of love? I mean, it's your headcanon man, but that's pretty weird! The Last Jedi I've seen this story passed around, and some are saying that it's still better than the canon reveal that Luke almost killed his own nephew because he saw him as a powerful force-user turning to the dark side. That plot point may have its issues, but no, I'm not going to say it's worse than the idea of Luke's toddler accidentally being skewered with his lightsaber. Put it in a lockbox, Luke! Safety first! The Last Jedi remains the most controversial piece of Star Wars media ever. I'd argue the recent series The Acolyte got close, but that's a low-profile offering than the new trilogy movie. Sentiment has really turned against that whole trilogy altogether at this point. Well, circling back, you can come up with all the motivations you want as an actor, but this one is a real headscratcher, I gotta say. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Geek Tyrant
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Mark Hamill Shares His Super Dark Pitch For Luke Skywalker's Backstory in STAR WARS — GeekTyrant
Mark Hamill recently opened up about an he had for Luke Skywalker's tragic backstory, but it was, perhaps, too dark for a franchise built around hope, redemption, and family-friendly adventure. In an appearance on the Bullseye with Jesse Thorn podcast, Hamill shared a pitch he had for Luke's past, one that never made it to the big screen. While Hamill respects The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson and his storytelling, he didn't quite agree with the choice to make Luke a depressed hermit, hiding away on the isolated planet Ahch-To. Hamill felt that Luke's descent into exile would have been more compelling if it had been fueled by a personal loss so devastating that it shattered his connection to the Jedi. Hamill shared: 'I thought, 'What could make someone give up a devotion to what is basically a religious entity, to give up being a Jedi?' Well, the love of a woman. So [Luke] falls in love with a woman, he gives up being a Jedi, they have a child together. 'At some point, the child, as a toddler, picks up an unattended lightsaber, pushes the button, and is killed instantly. The wife is so full of grief, she kills herself … but [Rian Johnson] didn't have the time to tell a backstory like that, I'm guessing. He just wanted a brief thing to explain it.' Whoa… this backstory is certainly tragic, but it veers into territory that might be hard for some Star Wars fans to swallow. Yes, the franchise has grappled with heavy themes, from the fall of Anakin Skywalker to the death of children like the younglings in Revenge of the Sith , but the added layer of a grieving mother taking her own life after the accidental death of her child feels almost too dark for the franchise. Hamill's proposed backstory would have introduced grief and loss at a level that's borderline unbearable, pushing the limits of what's acceptable within the Star Wars universe. But, Andor pushed hard with these themes, but the franchise wasn't ready for that kind of thing when Lucasfilm was developing The Last Jedi . The Last Jedi tells a different story. Instead of focusing on a personal tragedy involving love and loss, Luke's exile is driven by his shame and guilt over a momentary lapse in judgment regarding his nephew, Ben Solo. When Luke sensed the darkness growing within Ben, he briefly considered ending his life to prevent the galaxy from suffering under the rise of another Sith Lord. But Ben woke up just in time to destroy Luke's Jedi temple, leading to Luke's retreat to Ahch-To. He isn't just abandoning the Jedi Order; he's abandoning the trust of his best friends, Han and Leia, by failing their son. His exile isn't born out of a simple failure; it's a failure with emotional weight. The guilt of having failed his nephew and having watched another Jedi Order collapse weighs heavily on Luke. As much as some fans criticize Luke's actions in The Last Jedi , there's a layer of emotional complexity here that makes sense, even if it feels jarring at first. Some fans were upset by the portrayal of Luke as a broken man who gave up on everything he once believed in, but others saw it as a profound, humanizing arc, a man struggling with faith, guilt, and redemption. Johnson's approach is emotionally resonant, focusing on Luke's growth as a character rather than trying to justify his actions with a darker, more complex backstory. Had Hamill's tragic backstory made it into The Last Jedi , it might have changed the tone of the entire film. The concept of a tragic love story ending in death and despair is undeniably powerful, but it's hard to imagine The Last Jedi taking that plunge into such grim territory without losing some of its balance. While both versions of Luke's backstory exlore deep emotional wounds, Johnson's choice allows for growth and redemption in the end. What do you think about Hamill's pitch?
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Mark Hamill Once Again Shared His Dark Motivations for Luke in ‘The Last Jedi'
Luke Skywalker had a wife and a kid who both killed themselves. Well, not really, but that's what Mark Hamill internalized in order to get into the headspace of the character for Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. The actor has shared this information before, but it's been a while, so we figured it was worth discussing again with a little distance. Speaking on Bullseye with Jesse Thorn, Hamill explained the headcanon he created to try and understand why Luke Skywalker would have left the Jedi in the sequel trilogy. You can watch the clip here and we'll quote it below. Mark Hamill's MUCH darker backstory idea for Luke in the sequel trilogy 😳 Check out Saturday's episode of Last Week in Star Wars for our thoughts… — Star Wars Explained (@StarWarsExplain) June 26, 2025'I thought, what could make someone give up a devotion to what is basically a religious entity, to give up being a Jedi. Well, the love of a woman,' Hamill said. 'So he falls in love with a woman. He gives up being a Jedi. They have a child together. At some point the child, as a toddler, picks up an unattended lightsaber, pushes the button and is killed instantly. The wife is so full of grief, she kills herself.' He goes on to explain how that sad story resonated with him because of its parallels to modern society and unattended guns and that he didn't really buy the explanation that writer-director Rian Johnson gave in the movie. Over the years, Hamill has been pretty vocal that he didn't agree with Johnson's plans for Luke, which he reiterates here. But that always bothered us a bit. That's because, if you remember back, it was J.J. Abrams, not Rian Johnson, who put Luke on that island. Abrams made a whole movie about Luke on the island, explained nothing, and then just left it to the next guy. That next guy, Johnson, then created a pretty freaking dark and interesting way to explain it all: Luke almost killed his own nephew, who then betrayed him and murdered many, many children as a result. Why his own version worked better for the actor over the one in the movie is unclear. Maybe it's just that Hamill needed a more direct, emotional connection. Whatever the case though, all that matters is he found something to get him to the place where an audience believed. Which he did. Hamill is fantastic in the movie, which we feel is an unexpected but fitting send-off for Luke Skywalker. We're sure every single other person on the internet agrees. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Star Wars of Lions v Australia awaits Josh van der Flier after long wait
It is written in the stars that Josh van der Flier's Lions debut will come against The Force. The Wicklow man's family had a video player instead of TV channels when he was a kid and his watching options largely consisted of watching the Lions or Star Wars. He didn't grow up to become a Jedi but the force is finally with the 32-year-old Leinster and Ireland star after he departed Dublin for Australia on Saturday with Andy Farrell's British and Irish Lions squad. His debut is expected to play against the Western Force on Saturday, a moment that has been a long time coming for the 73-times capped Ireland star. "Gosh, I always wanted to play (for the Lions)," he admitted. "I didn't really know that rugby was a job when I was younger, it probably wouldn't have been something I verbalized. "But I used to watch an Irish game or a game on TV and then go out to the garden and pretend to be someone who played for Ireland or the Lions. It's probably the pinnacle. It's hard to compare with playing for your country but it is a very hard thing to do, so it's pretty cool." When he wanted to watch the Lions when he was a child he popped across the road to his grandparents' house. "I just have a vague memory of it, I would have been quite young," van der Flier recalled. 'I distinctly remember, I think it was 2005, we had a family video and we taped over it by mistake. "It was Lions against New Zealand that year, we used to watch that over and over again. It was either that or Star Wars or something. So I ended up watching a lot of that 2005 Lions game.' When Leinster finished training on the day of the squad announcement, van der Flier made a bee-line for home. "I didn't even bother showering, I was straight out the door because I didn't want to be there in front of loads of lads if guys didn't get picked or if I didn't," he recalled. "So I just went home. My wife actually facetimed me so we watched it together. It was a long wait. Last time I had a vague memory of the announcement just popping up and that was it, this time it was like 30 minutes of TV before it got to it. I was sitting there sweating on the couch." With a surname starting with 'v', the wait was even longer as he watched as back row after back row was named before announcer Ieuan Evans got to his one. 'You have a good idea of how squads are made up so you obviously need specialized lineout back rows, maybe one or two 7s," said van der Flier. "And then there were like four 8s and my name hadn't been called and you think 'oh no', but I made it in the end.' The worry didn't end there, however. Van der Flier missed Leinster's URC semi-final with a hamstring issue, and was a doubt for the final but did start the victory over the Bulls. "I never hurt my hamstring before, thankfully I've been good with muscle things, but it didn't feel too bad to be honest," he said. "I'd no reference point, it ended up being a small little thing - I got a knee in the back of it I think - but the unknown was still...I was hoping it was alright. Thankfully it was. "People were asking me what the story is with tickets, wondering what my plans were and I was literally saying, 'I'm not even thinking about that until I'm finished (with Leinster)'. Winning the URC was brilliant, so the last few days I could go into camp and it was here. It was ignore it until it was there." Van der Flier was then travelling reserve for the opening defeat to Argentina at the Aviva Stadium last Friday night but wasn't required to play. The Lions arrived in Perth around midday Irish time on Sunday. They went straight into a busy schedule yesterday with a visit to Clottesloe and an aboriginal cultural experience in the form of a 'Welcome to Country' in Kings Park. But had some time to take stock of his impressive journey when the Lions trained at the UCD Bowl last week. "It was incredible, we trained here on Tuesday and it was very cool coming out into the changing rooms," said van der Flier. "It's my first time properly here since playing here for UCD." He played for the club in 2014 and '15. "It's very easy when things are going from one thing to the next to get used to where you're at," the flanker reflected. "To be involved in the Lions is incredible and you come to the UCD changing rooms for the first time since a few years ago, it's special."
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Carrie-Anne Moss didn't think her death on 'The Acolyte' would be a big deal: 'How did I miss that?'
The death of Idara in the first episode of the Disney+ " Star Wars" series " The Acolyte" came as a shock to everyone but the woman who played her. Carrie-Anne Moss told Business Insider that she knew when she signed on to play Idara that she'd be killed off right away. What "The Matrix" star didn't anticipate was how fans would react to the scene. Moss' Jedi master character, Idara, battles the evil Mae Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) in the opening sequence of the series' first episode in a thrilling duel that's part " The Matrix," part "Star Wars." Fans were in shock when the battle ended with Mae killing Idara, especially because Moss was a large part of the series' ad campaign. "I swear if you hype up a Carrie-Anne Moss Jedi only for her role to be THAT small, imma force choke someone," one viewer wrote on X after the first episode. "Why yall make Carrie-Anne Moss get out of bed if you're just gonna waste her like that," another wrote. Speaking to Business Insider, Moss admitted she simply didn't think about how the audience would receive the scene. "The reaction to it from the fans, I kind of thought, 'Wow, how did I not think of that?'" she said. Though her character does appear in flashbacks later in the series, Moss said she didn't think about if people would be missing her presence on the show. "I mean, I serve the writers and the directors," she continued. "It didn't cross my mind. But afterward, when people made a big deal about it. I was like, 'How did I miss that?' I didn't think it would be a big deal at all." Though Disney canceled "The Acolyte" after one season, Moss isn't slowing down. She currently stars in season 2 of the Netflix series "FUBAR" opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger. For Moss, it's a restart to her career after slowing down in the 2010s to raise her children. Now that they're off to college, Moss said she's having the most fun she's ever had playing a villain opposite Schwarzenegger. "I love working and love so many of the jobs that I've done, but that wouldn't be how I would describe them," Moss said. "Having a job for the first time where I can say, 'That was so much fun,' it makes me want to do more."
