Mark Hamill Explains Why Asked For The Force Awakens’ Ending To Be Changed

Written By: Nick Poulimenakos

Everyone remembers the ending to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. For 2+ hours, fans waited in their seats for the triumphant return of Luke Skywalker, as Rey finds him in is island exile and offers his old lightsaber that he lost during his first encounter with Darth Vader. It is a moment that has reached iconic status within the Star Wars realm but, according to Skywalker himself, the ending sequence actually made him uneasy.

In the January 2018 edition of Empire Magazine (courtesy of Sleemo on Tumblr), Mark Hamill spoke about the ending of TFA and how there was some inconsistency between the final sequence of TFA and the opening sequence of The Last Jedi:

“There was something that happened at the end of The Force Awakens when I’m standing on the cliff. I called Rian in a panic because it was all wrong. He said, ‘It’s okay, I spoke to J.J. and he’s taking that scene out.’ It just didn’t match up with what Rian had written.”

For those who don’t know the backstory, let me explain.  According to a Star Wars blog, Star Wars Shadow Council, JJ Abrams apparently shot a longer, more intimate ending where Luke actually hugs Rey and takes the lightsaber from her. However, TLJ director Rian Johnson asked for the ending to be left ambiguous because of where he wanted to go with the relationship between Luke and Rey.

Hamill’s interview here definitely adds some credence to the reshot ending theory. With The Last Jedi arguably being the most anticipated movie of the year, Hamill wanted to ensure that the film flowed nicely from its predecessor. TLJ will continue the adventures of Rey as she learns to become a Jedi along with discovering who she truly is.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi flies into our galaxy on December 15, 2017.