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Star Wars Episode VIII Promises More Luke Skywalker As Mark Hamill Appears At London Celebration

By Jinger Jarrett
Published on: 05:50 PST, Jul 15, 2016

As Star Wars Episode VIII wrapped its filming, Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill appeared at the Star Wars Celebration Europe at London’s ExCel Center to kick off the event. He spoke about the latest installment in the Star Wars saga although he gave little detail on the what the plot of the movie will actually be about.

Variety reported that Mark Hamill spoke at the event and said that he is often asked about the plot of Star Wars Episode VIII. He told the crowd at the event that he was contractually forbidden from discussing the movie.

Many fans were surprised that Hamill had such a small role at the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. His character, Luke Skywalker, was hiding out at the Jedi Temple during the movie, and moviegoers only saw him at the end. Hamill said that he was worried that fans would be disappointed when he turned around at the end of the movie.

“I was nervous. Say I turned and people groaned? But I want to do all movies like that — 30 seconds work and second billing. It’s the most elaborate entrance in show business history. I wasn’t insulted. I thought it was a great surprise.”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, plot leaks for Star Wars Episode VIII reveal the secret to Luke Skywalker’s light saber. It also includes some clues to who Rey really is and her part in the story. The latest leaks include speculation on how the Jedi Order came to be. Rey’s possible part in the Jedi Order might be revealed in the next movie.

The Telegraph UK reported that the event began with a Q & A session with Mark Hamill. As Luke, Hamill was a star in the original Star Wars Trilogy and a little-seen figure in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He fielded questions from a capacity crowd for the event at the ExCel.

Hamill revealed that the scripts for Episode VIII were kept on password protected tablets. He said that printouts for the script were shredded at the end of the day.

“I’m in the elderly recluse phase of my career. I have to write cartoons in the margins to help me remember my lines. I’m old school – I need a script that I can write on and take home. And you get really paranoid. You start wondering if the maid at the hotel knows the code, which is really long, with capitals and numbers and letters, and really hard to remember. But it’s for your viewing pleasure that we do this.”

The shoot for the movie was so secretive that often no one knew who would appear on set until the person arrived. Hamill said that he was impressed with Rian Johnson’s script and had even seen one of the catchphrases from the movie on a shirt. Fans would forget ‘May the Force be with you’ because of all the catchphrases in the script.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the return of favorite characters, including Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia, but Hamill said he was surprised at how small his part in the movie was. Hamill also revealed that his name in A New Hope wasn’t originally Skywalker. In the scene where they rescue Princess Leia, he introduces himself as Luke Starkiller. The film was later reshot with the name change, and he became Luke Skywalker.

[Photo by WPA Pool/Getty Images]

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