mark hamill

Finally, the wait is over and the very first footage of Star Wars: The Last Jedi has arrived! If you haven’t already passed out or exploded into tiny specs of dust, congrats!

Star Wars Celebration is set to kick off in just a few days, and with the 40th anniversary of the iconic franchise on the horizon, fans are expecting this year’s festivities to be extra special — but it looks like we won’t have to wait until later this week for major news from a galaxy far, far away. Good Morning America is teasing a big Star Wars announcement for tomorrow’s episode, but what could it possibly be? The first teaser for The Last Jedi? A revelation about one of your favorite characters?

Mark Hamill, like many stars who enjoy sharing glimpses of the days before they finally made it big, enjoys posting the occasional photo or two from the sets of Star Wars. Just a few days ago, he shared what might very well be the first ever photo taken of Luke Skywalker in costume out in the middle of the Tunisian desert. Today, another early photo of himself as the young Jedi was unearthed, and Hamill pointed out that Lucasfilm was not keen on letting the public see it for years.

The most widely recognized iterations of Batman’s constant foe the Joker would probably have to be Heath Ledger as the unchained mad-dog of The Dark Knight, Jack Nicholson as an urbane creep in Tim Burton’s 1989 film, and to a lesser extent, Cesar Romero’s campy turn in the goofy TV series from the ’60s. But Mark Hamill logged more hours as the Clown Prince of Crime than the rest of them put together, voicing the Joker in the long-running animated series and its many spin-offs. The man with the greatest claim to the Joker persona dusted off his special crazy-voice this week for a more pointedly political purpose than the usual cocktail-party entertainment.

We lost an incomparable actress, writer, icon, and amazing human being when Carrie Fisher passed away on December 27, 2016. No one is feeling that loss as deeply as those closest to her, and in the days since Fisher’s passing, we’ve had the privilege of reading and hearing some of their remembrances. Today, Mark Hamill has shared his own personal tribute to Fisher, offering a touching, humorous and appropriately candid essay for his Star Wars co-star and longtime friend.

Just when DC had us distracted with one shiny animation return, so too is the Justice League ready to grace our screens again in animated form. See for yourself in new clips from the forthcoming Justice League Action, including musical moments, alien worlds and a little Bat-time travel.

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks for actors and their beards. Last week, Hugh Jackman shaved off his famous Wolverine facial hair for the very last time (sniffle), and now that filming on Star Wars: Episode VIII is complete, Mark Hamill is saying goodbye to his Luke Skywalker beard — but don’t worry, he’ll probably be back (beard and all) for Episode IX.

Lucasfilm released an announcement video a couple of weeks ago to kick off production on Star Wars: Episode VIII, showing just a tiny glimpse of footage that made it look as if Rian Johnson was picking up where J.J. Abrams left off. If you had any doubts that Episode VIII would begin where The Force Awakens ends, Daisy Ridley has confirmed that this is definitely the case — and that Luke Skywalker will have much more to do this time around.

The original Star Wars was driven by nostalgia for pulp magazines, Saturday-morning serials, and a simpler era with clear-cut heroes and villains. The new Star Wars is driven by nostalgia for the original Star Wars, and a simpler era when that title evoked words like “adventure” and “excitement,” and not words like “the taxation of trade routes,” and “Jar Jar Binks.” The characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens are all searching for something of great importance to the galaxy far, far away. I won’t reveal what this MacGuffin is, but I will tell you what it represents: that old Star Wars magic. Can director J.J. Abrams and the rest of the saga’s new creators find it?

Disney and Lucasfilm are trying very hard to preserve the secrets of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There are reports that the film won’t screen for critics until the day before it opens in theaters. And there are rumors that not only will there be no more trailers, but that the TV spots that run won’t use any new footage and everything you’ve seen so far, is all you’re going to get. But, even as they try to keep a carbonite fist on spoilers, J.J. Abrams has to leave his house. As much as Disney would like, they can’t keep him chained up in a Rancor pit until December 17. The dude has to go out in public. And that he did just the other day, and as people shouted at him “LUKE!!! WHERE’S LUKE!!!!” he was obliged to answer.

Just when you thought we might be done with Star Wars news today — nope! The glorious internet has provided us with our first legitimate look at Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens, and he looks like he’s aged quite nicely into a wizened Jedi.

If you’re one of those people who can’t get enough ‘Star Wars: Episode 7’ spoilers, first, might we recommend our weekly Wookieepedia ‘Star Wars’ round up? With that shameless plug out of the way, let us now offer you ‘Star Wars’ spoiler addicts some advice from Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. CHILL OUT.