Although we still don't know a lot about the appearance of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, it seems that at least part of the mystery got solved when Hamill recently tweeted confirmation that he's preparing to go to work on the sequel, Star Wars Episode VIII.
Hamill's tweet suggests that Luke survives events from The Force Awakens and will also be part of the film following it, although all Hamill really confirmed is that his character will have a beard for that film.
However, as is the case with the Force, this isn't a 100 percent guarantee that Skywalker doesn't die in The Force Awakens because as fans of the franchise know, he could also appear after death as a ghost of the force, as Obi Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) did in the original trilogy.
Here's the tweet:
Last shaved on 10/22 after final day of my 2nd #TheFlash (which airs 12/8 #XmasTrix), just in time for Ep VIII-whew! https://t.co/UNsPDaqFT2
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) November 23, 2015
The tweet mentions Hamill's upcoming appearance as Trickster on The Flash, as well as the last time he shaved as he grows out his beard for Star Wars Episode VIII.
However, there's still a lot of mystery around Luke's role in The Force Awakens: the character has not appeared in any promotional materials or trailers, and that is entirely intentional. Fans asked director J.J. Abrams about the lack of Luke in the trailers.
"These are good questions to be asking," said Abrams at a red carpet interview. "I can't wait for you to find out the answers."
Of course, fan theories run the gamut from Luke being in hiding to him being the person behind the Kylo Ren mask, meaning that he followed in his father's footsteps to become the next version of Darth Vader. It's likely that it's none of the above, but fans of the franchise won't know for sure until the movie comes out.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens arrives in theaters on December 18.
Photo: Getty
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