Star Wars legend Mark Hamill has addressed the franchise’s major shake-up, following Kathleen Kennedy’s recent exit. The long-serving president of Lucasfilm announced her departure from the production company this January, after 14 years at the helm.
During her tenure, Kennedy oversaw a number successful projects including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Mandalorian. However, her resignation left the fate of various future projects up in the air.
Following Kennedy‘s exit, Lucasfilm appointed its Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni president of the company, alongside Co-President Lynwen Brennan. Addressing the huge change in leadership, Hamill told USA Today that he “can’t think of better hands” for Star Wars than Filoni.
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The actor is best known for playing Luke Skywalker in the long-running franchise, and has also voiced other Star Wars characters including the ancient Sith Lord Darth Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Hamill claimed Filoni understands the franchise “so well” after working directly with Star Wars creator George Lucas on the 2008 animated series. “George was a mentor to Dave, so he knows George’s sensibility,” he said.
Hamill also voiced a young Luke Skywalker on The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, which were both executive produced by Filoni. The actor shared that he was impressed by the “great stuff” Filoni has worked on.
Elsewhere in the interview, Hamill reminisced about raising children while starring in the beloved sci-fi franchise. He recalled taking his eldest son Nathan to the set of 1983’s Return of the Jedi, saying the boy was “totally into it”.
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“He could sit in Yoda’s house because he was little. He was perfectly proportioned. He sat on the Emperor’s throne. He was in the creature shop, and they were letting him play with things.
“When I did The Muppet Show, same thing. I thought, ‘What a wonderful experience for him.’ … I was almost envious of him being able to have all these experiences.”
The star added: “My second son, Griffin, is more analytical and serious, and he says: ‘You know, Star Wars movies just aren’t for me. They’re too commercial for my liking’. My daughter likes them. Kids are all different!”
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the entire Skywalker Saga are streaming on Disney+ and also available to buy on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K.
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