Luke Skywalker appearing in future 'Star Wars' entries have been dashed, according to the man who has played the legendary character for the past 40+ years.

A Mark Hamill 'Star Wars' return is not looking likely, following the actor's lengthy discussion around the topic with Entertainment Weekly recently. The actor has played Luke Skywalker on the big screen ever since George Lucas' 'A New Hope' back in 1977.

Speaking on his future in the franchise, Hamill remarked he "couldn't imagine" picking up that lightsaber for one final outing. He continued: "I had a beginning, middle, and end. Those films gave me far more than I ever expected when we started out so it's never even occurred to me.

"My farewell was in 'Episode IX' and it was bittersweet. I love all those people and I certainly have affection for George and the character he created. I'm full of gratitude for what it has given me and my career but I don't want to be greedy.

"There are still so many more stories to tell and so many great actors to tell them, they don't need me."

In a recent Instagram post, the actor confirmed to his followers that he knew the main franchise's final release 'The Rise of Skywalker', was always going to be his last.

 

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May The 9th Be A Bittersweet Episode- Knowing It Was The Last Time I Would Ever Play Luke #ByeByeSkywalker

A post shared by Mark Hamill (@hamillhimself) on

However, that doesn't mean we wouldn't see the character return somewhere down the line in the future. Let's face it, reboots and the thoughts of casting younger versions of iconic characters are always on the minds of movie execs these days. Hell, even Nic Cage's 'National Treasure' is getting a reboot series in the future.

And on the topic of what he makes of Disney+'s series 'The Mandalorian', Mark Hamill tips his hat to what Jon Favreau and his team have created with the impressive spin-off. He said: "I think they have a wonderful advantage on 'The Mandalorian' in that it's economical storytelling.

"It sort of gets back to the basics of George envisioning it as a western in space. It has that tone of a Sergio Leone Western. I'm very impressed with it and to me, a very smart move on their part because you can't keep trying to top.

"It's like the superhero movies that have to deliver these gargantuan epics. And with 'The Mandalorian', they can concentrate more on the characters and the storytelling. I think it's excellent."