How Star Wars Legend Mark Hamill Really Feels About Dave Filoni Taking Over Lucasfilm

Mark Hamill, one of the most legendary "Star Wars" legends to ever grace a galaxy far, far away, has weighed in on the recent leadership changes at Lucasfilm. Kathleen Kennedy had been serving as President of Lucasfilm ever since Disney purchased the company from George Lucas back in 2012. But Kennedy's replacements were revealed earlier this year, paving the way for a new era.

Dave Filoni, of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" fame, now serves as President and Chief Creative Officer, with Lynwen Brennan serving as Co-President. Brennan is handling more of the business side, but Filoni is the creative king at the company, so to speak. In a recent interview with USA Today, Hamill, the man behind Luke Skywalker, commented on the future of the franchise now that Filoni is in the driver's seat.

The actor said that he "can't think of better hands" for "Star Wars" than Filoni's. He also noted that Filoni worked directly with George Lucas on "The Clone Wars" and that he understands the franchise "so well." Indeed, Filoni was something of a protege of Lucas', and he's since worked on live-action shows like "The Mandalorian" and "Ahsoka," which incorporated characters from his experience learning from Lucas on the animated series. Filoni is currently busy with "Ahsoka" season 2, which will feature an unexpected showdown on Disney+ later this year.

"George was a mentor to Dave, so he knows George's sensibility," Hamill added. The actor also says he was impressed by the "great stuff" Filoni has worked on. This includes "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett," both of which featured Hamill as Luke Skywalker. "The Mandalorian" season 2's emotional and action-packed finale memorably featured a surprise appearance by Luke in his prime, to the delight of fans.

To what degree Mark Hamill will be involved in the future of "Star Wars" is unclear. Luke Skywalker died in "The Last Jedi," but returned as a Force ghost in "The Rise of Skywalker." But he's an actor who has had multiple "Star Wars" roles over the years, so he could still return to voice a new character or something along those lines.

Either way, having Hamill's blessing is meaningful. The fact of the matter is that fans love Hamill and his opinion does matter. More than that, Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan have their work cut out for them. "The Mandalorian and Grogu" will be the first movie in the franchise in nearly seven years when it arrives next month, and there hasn't been a totally clear creative direction since the end of the sequel trilogy. The pressure is on.

Lucasfilm's new leadership needs to make some changes to "Star Wars" going forward. Fans have endured learning about a great many projects that have been announced only for them to be scrapped along the way. There's also been a lot of division within the fanbase when it comes to certain projects. (I'm not going to name names since we don't need to open up any cans of worms right now, but "Star Wars" fans know what I'm talking about.)

Filoni has largely worked on crowd-pleasing stuff, including "Star Wars Rebels" and "The Mandalorian," though "The Book of Boba Fett" was largely viewed as a swing and a miss. He's also never directed a live-action movie (at least not yet). All of this to say, it's unclear what his tenure as the creative head of Lucasfilm will look like. Hamill believes in him, though, and for a fandom like this one, that counts for something.

"The Mandalorian and Grogu" hits theaters on May 22, 2026.