Mark Hamill is speaking candidly once again about the direction of Star Wars—and this time, his tone is notably different as he heaps lavish praise on new Lucasfilm boss Dave Filoni.
With Kathleen Kennedy stepping away from Lucasfilm after more than a decade at the helm, Mark Hamill is now publicly backing Dave Filoni as a guiding force for the franchise. It’s a striking shift when viewed alongside his long-documented frustrations during the sequel trilogy era.
A Vote of Confidence in Filoni
Hamill didn’t was direct and particularly complementary when discussing Filoni’s role moving forward.
“I can’t think of better hands” for Star Wars to be in than Dave Filoni, he said.
Filoni is one of the few modern Star Wars creatives who worked directly under George Lucas, and Hamill made sure to highlight that connection.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 08: Dave Filoni onstage during the Ahsoka panel at the Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 08, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
“George was a mentor to Dave, so he knows George’s sensibility,” Hamill added.
That connection is often cited as a reason for confidence in Filoni’s leadership—but it hasn’t come without controversy.
Despite his close ties to George Lucas, Filoni has overseen some of the most divisive Star Wars projects in recent memory. He had creative input on The Acolyte, a series that sparked backlash from fans who argued it attempted to reinterpret core elements of established lore, including the nature of the Force and the legacy of the Chosen One.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 23: (L-R) Leslye Headland and Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm attend the launch event for Lucasfilm’s new Star Wars series The Acolyte at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Leslye Headland defended a lot of her more controversial decisions by invoking Filoni’s name and noting that he approved.
He also produced the live-action Ahsoka series, which struggled to connect with a broader audience, and played a key role in shaping The Mandalorian Season 3—a season that shifted focus away from Din Djarin and placed Bo-Katan Kryze at the center of the story, a move that divided longtime viewers.
(L-R): Dave Filoni and Rosario Dawson on the set of Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
More broadly, Filoni’s creative direction has leaned heavily into character-driven storytelling centered on female leads, a shift that has drawn heavy criticism from the core Star Wars audience.
For fans, that creates a more complicated picture. While Filoni clearly understands the foundations of Star Wars, his modern execution has not always landed the same way.
Revisiting the Rift Over The Last Jedi
Hamill’s praise for Filoni also reopens a conversation that never really went away—his disagreement with Luke Skywalker’s creative direction in The Last Jedi.
Produced during Kennedy’s tenure and directed by Rian Johnson, the 2017 film remains one of the most polarizing entries in the franchise. And Hamill was one of its most outspoken critics.
Luke Skywalker Drinks Green Milk in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi – Disney+
“The fact that I went public with my dissatisfaction with the motivation for Luke becoming a su***dal hermit might have colored things,” he admitted in an earlier interview.
His issue wasn’t minor. It was philosophical.
Hamill believed Luke Skywalker would respond to failure by becoming stronger—not retreating.
“I saw entire planets wiped out! If anything, Luke doubles down and hardens his resolve in the face of adversity,” Hamill once said to Johnson.
That line cuts right to the heart of the divide: two fundamentally different interpretations of who Luke Skywalker is.
Disagreement Without Disrespect
Despite the creative clash, Hamill has repeatedly clarified that his criticism was never personal.
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens (2015), Lucasfilm
“Rian Johnson is one of the most gifted directors I’ve ever worked with,” he clarified in later years. And he ultimately committed to delivering the performance, even if he disagreed with the direction.
“Despite the fact that I disagree with your choices for Luke, I’m going to do everything within my power to make your screenplay work,” he reportedly said to the director.
A Franchise at a Crossroads
Kennedy’s departure marks the end of an era that saw deep division among fans and attenuation of Star Wars’ cultural dominance. While The Force Awakens reignited excitement temporarily, the films that followed struggled to maintain a unified vision.
Now, with Filoni stepping into a leadership position, the franchise could be shifting course. But that possibility comes with an obvious caveat.
Jon Favreau, George Lucas, Rosario Dawson, and Dave Filoni in Master & Apprentice: A Special Look at Ahsoka (2023), Lucasfilm
Filoni has not been an outsider looking in—he has been a central creative force at Lucasfilm for years. From animated series to live-action projects, his influence has been deeply embedded in the direction Star Wars has taken throughout the Disney era.
That raises a fair question: is the franchise is truly changing, or are we getting a continuation of the same creative philosophy under a different title?
For some fans, Filoni represents a return to form. For others, he’s already tied to many of the decisions that have divided the audience in the first place.
Turning the Page
Even after praising Dave Filoni, Mark Hamill has made it clear he’s not looking to return.
“I had my time… I think they should focus on the future and all the new characters,” he said.
That statement may suggest a new phase for Star Wars, but many fans aren’t convinced the franchise is ready to move on from its past just yet.
If anything, there’s still a lingering sense of dissatisfaction surrounding how Luke Skywalker’s story ended. For a character long viewed as the ultimate symbol of hope in the saga, his arc in the sequel trilogy remains a sticking point.
Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season two, exclusively on Disney+. © 2020 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.
In fact, one of the last moments that generated genuine, widespread excitement across the fanbase came with Luke’s return in The Mandalorian Season 2 finale—a scene that reminded audiences of the hero they had followed for decades.
That reaction hasn’t been forgotten. And it raises an important question as Lucasfilm looks ahead: are fans ready for something new… or are they still waiting for Star Wars to fully course-correct what came before?
The Bigger Takeaway
Hamill’s comments aren’t just about Filoni. They reflect a broader moment for Lucasfilm—one that comes after years of creative decisions that fractured the fanbase.
While leadership may be changing on paper, the reality is far less clear. Filoni has been a central figure in shaping Star Wars for years, meaning the direction moving forward may not be a departure from the past, but a continuation of it.
And that’s where the uncertainty lies.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 23: (L-R) Leslye Headland, Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy, President, Lucasfilm attend the launch event for Lucasfilm’s new Star Wars series The Acolyte at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Because for many fans, the issue has never been a lack of new characters or new stories—it’s been a loss of what made Star Wars resonate in the first place. Until that’s addressed in a meaningful way, any talk of a “reset” may feel premature.
For now, Filoni has the backing of Luke Skywalker himself. Whether he has the backing of a divided fanbase is a very different question.
How do you feel about Mark Hammil and his comments about Dave Filoni? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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Hamill is the ultimate disappointment. He went from handsome hero to a traitor: to himself, to his character, to Star Wars, to his country, and to his fans.
His drinking green lizard milk and dribbling it like a tramp, and tearing up his books (book burning symbolism) is every bit as symbolic of the retarded gayness and feminisation of Star Wars as Mary Sue Palpatine.
“For now, Filoni has the backing of Luke Skywalker himself. Whether he has the backing of a divided fanbase is a very different question.”
Dear authors, I know you’re trying to sound professional, but you’ll lose your own fanbase, if you keep writing in this insipid, sterile style. I’ve seen punchier writing on a corporate intranet.
It’s gutless, and therefore hypocritical. You, yourselves, produce content that is almost as vapid as Hollywood.
How else are they going to try and spackle a layer of respectability if they can’t be seen as “objective” and use the pussified lingo? Dey be urinalists!
Feels like I’ve read this same article, regurgitated over and over, for years. Hamill needs to make sure his main claim to fame is preserved so he has to keep in the good graces of Disney leadership. If he had as much integrity and care for the character he could have made a much stronger impact by forcing them to either not reference Luke at all or recast him. Talk about sending a message. Instead he took the ticket. He doth protest too much.
Lucas said he sold his kids into slavery when he sold the rights to Disney… well, Filoni has been at the helm of many SW efforts that caused Lucas to make such a strong statement so the whole hoping that George rubbed off on Filoni has no real basis in fact.
All i hear is Blah,Blah,Blah..
Nobody cares anymore, and Filoni has proved to be the ultimate beta-cuck whom can only work when directed by powerful women behind the scenes..
It’s time to just stop. Stop all SW projects and abandon the franchise for 10 years at least, and then reboot with new talent where original storytelling is at the core..
Well, wishfull thinking, i know….
Personally, they can go suck a fart for all i care, Disney Star Wars is a non-existant for me..
Gays supporting gays. Nothing to see here.
dave failoni won’t do any better. sw died after disney bought it.
Filoni has done as much damage to SW canon as Kennedy. Hamill is an idiot who destroyed his own legacy by agreeing to participate in the deconstruction of Luke. Not to mention that he’s a deranged leftist.