Mark Hamill Is In Talks To Return To STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

Now the final shoe has dropped for the return of the original cast of the STAR WARS franchise, with Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford both saying they are ready to return to their  roles. Now Mark Hamill has broken his silence about the situation this week with Entertainment Tonight. Hamill admitted that nothing is set in stone for the return of Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker, but they are all taking meetings with screenwriter Writer Michael Arndt, and LUCAS FILM head Kathleen Kennedy. Hamill stated “They’re talking to us,…George Lucas wanted to know whether we’d be interested. He did say that if we didn’t want to do it, they wouldn’t cast another actor in our parts – they would write us out. I can tell you right away that we haven’t signed any contracts.” The most promising bit for fans is that Hamill is in agreement that all the actors want to return, in fact Hamill would go further in saying “I’d want to make sure [that] the whole gang [returns]. Carrie and Harrison and Billy Dee and Tony Daniels, everybody that’s around from the original. I want to make sure that everybody’s on board, rather than just one [actor].“ This quote reveals that all the characters are being considered for return, Including Lando Calrissian and C-3PO who were played by Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Daniels respectively. The tone of the interview also has me guessing they won’t all come back unless they all agree on their place within the story.

It’s safe to assume part of the deal would include Merchandising rights, which were not even a part of movie contracts back when the original 3 STAR WARS movies were developed. In fact, series Creator George Lucas took a huge risk when he accepted 100% of the merchandising rights instead of his full salary. After the merchandising sales skyrocketed, Lucas had made enough money to fund most of his films out of pocket. It also became a point of contention for some of the actors, who never saw a dime after the films became hits that still sell toys and merchandise to date.