New Star Wars films have chosen to 'forget the past', says Mark Hamill

The Star Wars franchise is “doing a pretty good job” of forgetting its past, according to Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill.

Two years after apparently saying goodbye to his most iconic role in Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, Hamill has spoken out about some of the more controversial changes that film made to the mythology of the series.

Prior to the release of the film, the 67-year-old admitted he had disagreed with writer-director Rian Johnson’s approach to Luke in the movie.

Read more: Rian Johnson reveals Hamill row

However, the star has said he was surprised at the speed with which devoted fans latched on to his initial negative comments.

Speaking to Den of Geek to promote his role as Knights Templar master Talus in the History Channel drama Knightfall, Hamill said he was shocked at some of the changes Johnson made to the established universe.

He said: “They had me walking by Threepio, not even acknowledging him. I said: ‘I can’t do that!’ [Rian Johnson] said: ‘okay, go over and do whatever’. So I went over, and I did whatever.

“They say in the script ‘forget the past, kill it if you have to’, and they’re doing a pretty good job.”

Hamill added he was upset that Skywalker’s best friend Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford, was killed off in previous movie The Force Awakens, before their emotional reunion was able to take place.

He said: “I just thought, Luke’s never going to see his best friend again. You look at it in a self-centred way. I said that it was a big mistake that those three people would never reunite in any way. I guess I was wrong, because nobody seems to care.”

Read more: John Boyega teases Episode IX

The star, who first portrayed Luke in George Lucas’s 1977 original movie, confessed his own passion means he feels a sense of “ownership” towards stories and characters.

“It can get you into trouble, because I don’t control the storylines,” said Hamill. “I’m sort of like a musician. I read the music, and I try to play it to the best of my ability. That doesn’t necessarily mean I like the tune, but that’s not my job.”

Despite controversy around its release, Star Wars: The Last Jedi made in excess of $1.3bn (£986m) at the global box office.

The currently untitled Star Wars: Episode IX is due for release in December 2019, with director J.J. Abrams recently announcing on Twitter that the film has finished filming.

Knightfall‘s second season will air on the History Channel in the UK this summer.