Mark Hamill's role in new 'Star Wars' movie began with lunch in Orlando
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Hamill and Fisher were in Florida in 2012 for another fan event, Celebration VI, when they lunched with Lucas. Fisher was onboard immediately for the film, Hamill said, but he had reservations.
"I'm sort of settled in my ways," he said. "I'm a character actor in animation, and I don't really do a lot of on-camera anymore. And I'm perfectly happy with that. I'm a man of simple pleasures."
But then he had an "aha!" moment.
"I started thinking: Business decision aside, what would happen if I declined? I would be the most reviled person on the planet."
The movies' fervent fan base played a role in Hamill's decision.
"I'm aware that a lot of people don't care one way or another, but for the UPFs — the ultra-passionate fans — they would come after me like the angry townspeople with torches in the old Frankenstein pictures," Hamill said.
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Although there's an opening date set for the film — Dec. 18, 2015 — little else is known.
"The amount of secrecy around this thing is intense. It's like working for the CIA," Hamill said. "The only thing they've really announced is that it takes place about 30 years after 'Jedi'," he said, referring to 1983's "Return of the Jedi."
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In addition to the returning stars, younger, lesser-known actors — including Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac — are in the cast. Fans have speculated that the film will be a multigenerational story and could involve the offspring of the classic characters.
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Although Hamill has been to Disney World before and has attended other fan events, 2014 marks his debut at Star Wars Weekends.
"It seems to me that if you are a little more particular in choosing what you do, it makes it more special," he said. "Having said that, I didn't mean to wait two decades. Time flies."