• George Lucas: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill in on new 'Star Wars'

    By Natalie Finn, E! Online

    Sounds like Carrie Fisher knew what she was talking about when she said she was going to return as Princess Leia for "Star Wars: Episode VII."

    Though the actress' rep later said Fisher was "joking," George Lucas went and told Bloomberg Businessweek that, even before Lucasfilm was sold to Disney for more than $4 billion, "we had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison -- or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation."

    Wait, what?!

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    "Maybe I'm not supposed to say that," Lucas added after a pause, per Bloomberg. "I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them. I won't say whether the negotiations were successful or not."

    But count on the folks at Wired and CNet and other interested parties to pick up on that one exchange out of the middle of a massive article about deal-making and the future of the Star Wars franchise.

    And despite the attempt at backtracking, this does mark the first time anyone has used the word signed when it comes to Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, let alone all three in one sentence, and the upcoming seventh film in the saga.

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    Prior to Fisher's moment of candor, Hamill had said that he and his two principal costars had not yet signed contracts and Ford had been characteristically mum on the subject, despite a report that he was interested in returning as Han Solo.


    J.J. Abrams has signed on to direct and Oscar winner Michael Arndt is penning the screenplay for "Episode VII," which Disney is aiming to release in 2015, with "Episode VIII" and "IX" following in two- or three-year intervals.

    Disney boss Robert Iger confirmed last month that "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" scribe Lawrence Kasdan is teaming with "Sherlock Holmes" screenwriter Simon Kinberg to develop spinoff films apart from the planned trilogy.

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  • Mark Hamill in talks for new 'Star Wars' films

    AP file

    Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill in "Star Wars."

    By Rolling Stone

    Could it be the return of the Jedi who returned in "Return of the Jedi"?  Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, has told  Entertainment Tonight that George Lucas has inquired whether he'd be interested in  appearing in the forthcoming "Episode VII."

    "George [Lucas] wanted to know whether we'd be interested. He did say that if we didn't want to do it, they wouldn't cast another actor in our parts – they would write us out," Hamill said. He's waiting to meet with Michael Arndt, who's writing the screenplay for "Episode VII," and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who took over after Disney bought the "Star Wars" franchise last fall for more than $4 billion.


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    "I can tell you right away that we haven't signed any contracts," said Hamill. "Both have had meetings set that were postponed – on their end, not mine. They're more busy than I am."

    Hamill is in the dark regarding a new storyline for Luke Skywalker, but he did speculate on some plot points for an aging jedi. "I'm assuming, because I haven't talked to the writers, that these movies would be about our offspring – like my character would be sort of in the Obi-Wan range [as] an influential character," he said. "When I found out [while making the original trilogy] that ultimate good news/bad news joke – the good news is there's a real attractive, hot girl in the universe; the bad news is she's your sister – I thought, 'Well, I'm going to wind up like Sir Alec [Guinness]. I'm going to be a lonely old hermit living out in some kind of desert igloo with a couple of robots.'"

    Hamill said he would love for the next three movies in the saga return to the less portentous tone of the original series. "I said to George that I wanted to go back to the way it was, in the sense that ours was much more carefree and lighthearted and humorous – in my opinion, anyway," said Hamill. "And another thing I'd want to make sure of is are we going to have the whole gang back? Is Carrie (Fisher) and Harrison (Ford) and Billy Dee (Williams) and Tony Daniels, everybody that's around from the original [returning]? I want to make sure that everybody's on board here, rather than just one." 

    Hamill is the latest "Star Wars" actor to express interest in the new movies. Ford is reportedly interested in reprising his role as Han Solo in future "Star Wars" films. Ian McDiarmid, who played Emperor Palpatine in both previous trilogies, told the Birmingham Mail he hasn't ruled out a return. Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Episodes I-III," has said he would be willing to make a spin-off based on his character.

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  • Report: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher interested in returning to 'Star Wars'

    By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, NBC News

    You love him. He knows. Harrison Ford may be 70, but the actor could still return to play Han Solo in "Star Wars" episode 7, Entertainment Weekly is reporting.

    20th Century Fox

    Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) could return once again to a galaxy far, far away.

    Yes, the magazine is attributing the news to a "highly placed source," and didn't sit down for an interview with Ford himself. But at this point, that encouraging news is all some fans need. The magazine item went on to say that like Ford, Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, and Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia, were "upbeat" about the idea of appearing in a new film.

    Entertainment Weekly did manage to reach Hamill, who said he and Fisher were told about the new movie last summer by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas. Hamill said that Lucas hadn't discussed whether there would be roles for Luke and Leia in the 2015 film or the two movies planned to come after it.


    "(Lucas) was just talking about writers and the fact that he wouldn’t be directing," Hamill told EW. "I guess he wanted us to know before everybody else knew."

    NBCNews readers had various responses to the idea of Ford and the original "Star Wars" cast appearing in the new trilogy. 

     "Hey -- if one is lucky, one ages, even Han Solo," wrote Sioux Westberry-Kaufman. "Bring back Harrison!"

    " I will faithfully watch Harrison Ford in whatever he does!" said Kathy McNeely Brooks.

    For Joe Smerko, it wasn't Ford's appearance that would bother him, but the possible return of some furry and finny little friends. "I'm gonna repeatedly give myself paper cuts if they bring Jar Jar Binks back and those stupid Ewoks," he wrote.

    Should Ford, Hamill and Fisher return for "Star Wars 7"? Vote in our poll, and tell us on Facebook.

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