The D23 Expo is in full swing and Disney CEO Bob Iger is already boasting thatThe Last Jedifeatures Mark Hamill’s best portrayal of Luke Skywalker to date. Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford all came back into theStar Warsuniverse for 2015’sThe Force Awakens, but Hamill was barely seen in the movie. That’s all about to change with Rian Johnson’sThe Last Jedi. The major plot points are still under wraps at the moment, but we do know that Luke is going to be featured prominently with Daisy Ridley’s Rey.
Mark Hamilland the late Carrie Fisher were honored at D23 as Disney Legends for their work inStar Warswhere Bob Iger spoke about the actors. At one particular moment that stands out, Iger complimented Hamill by saying that he has delivered his best performance as Luke Skywalker. The news comes to us via Yahoo Entertainment’sMarcus Erricowho was in attendance and tweeted that “Bob Iger has seenThe Last Jedi, tells D23 Expo that “this is Hamill’s best performance ofLuke Skywalkerto date” #disneylegends.” Now this is exciting news not only because the Disney CEO is saying that it’s great (that’s his job after all), but because it confirms the speculation that Luke will have a much larger role inThe Last Jedi. That may seem like a “no duh” type of thing, but up to this point, nothing has been officially confirmed.
Iger also paid tribute to the late Carrie Fisher by saying that she was an “iconic part of theStar Warsfranchise.” He explains.
“Carrie has been an iconic part of theStar Warsfranchise and will always hold very special place in our hearts. We miss her talent and wit.”
Mark Hamill also spoke about Fisher and stated that they had a brother and sister type of relationship. Hamill says this.
“I know if Carrie was here this morning, she would have flipped me the bird twice already. I loved her and we were like siblings. We would fight, but we loved each other.”
In addition to Hamill and Fisher, D23 Disney Legends also honored Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Oprah Winfrey, Wayne Jackson, Garry Marshal, Manuel Gonzalez, Whoopi Goldberg, Clyde Geronimi, and Julie Taymor.
A trailer for thehotly anticipated The Last Jediis expected to drop tomorrow afternoon at the D23 Expo along with some news about theHan Solomovie and theStar WarsLand theme park expansion. People with early access were able to check out a full-scale 3D model ofStar WarsLand last night and it looks amazing. According to a more detailed explanation of the new park, guests will be able to “take the controls of the Millennium Falcon on a customized mission” and partake in “anepic Star Wars adventurethat puts guests in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.” Both of the huge parks are expected to be about 14 acres in California and Orlando. The theme park expansions will be based off of a never before seen planet from theStar Warsuniverse.
While Mark Hamill has tried to downplay his role inStar Wars: The Last Jedi, it seems that he will be asignificant piece of the movieafter all even if he’s not the leading star of the movie. If there’s one thing that Disney is good at, it’s hyping up their projects and Bob Iger just did a tremendous job hyping up Hamill andThe Last Jedi. The rest of us will just have to wait until December 15th, 2017 to check out Hamill’s performance.
