Over the past year, fans have crossed their fingers in the hopes that James Gunn and Mark Hamill's off-screen friendship could translate into something within the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- specifically, a role for the latter in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
After the duo generated a flurry of rumors back in 2018 about a collaboration between the two genre titans, there's been virtually radio silence regarding the possibility of Hamill making an appearance in the Phase Four Marvel film. Unfortunately, it still doesn't sound like there are any plans for Luke Skywalker to hop between franchises after The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters.
James Gunn took some time recently to answer fan questions on Instagram, one of whom asked if he and Hamill were still talking about a potential Vol. 3 casting. Sadly, Gunn responded pretty succinctly with, "Mark is my friend. We have never had these talks you speak of."
Hamill appeared to back up these claims, stating they "talked about living in Malibu and our relatives and pets. It never really came up." Now that Star Wars is in the rearview mirror for Hamill, he doesn't appear keen on hopping back on-screen anytime soon. "That's why I liked Solo and Rogue One so much," he said. "There was 100 percent less Hamill so I didn't have any sort of anxiety. I could just be in the audience, it was great."
Of course, both Gunn and Hamill are no strangers to franchises requiring near-total silence regarding any new casting rumors, so perhaps this is all a cunning Jedi mind trick convincing us otherwise. We'll find out for sure as we inch closer to casting announcements and filming on Guardians Vol. 3.
Written and directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does not currently have a release date. The film is reportedly scheduled to begin production in February 2021.
(via Comicbook.com)