Avid “Star Wars” fans worried over Mark Hamill leaving the movie franchise can now breathe a sigh of relief. The actor has recently clarified speculations that the upcoming “Episode VIII” movie would be the last time that moviegoers will see him in the film.

The actor took to Twitter on Tuesday to respond to news that hinted “Star Wars 8” may be his last film for the space adventure movie series. The film, directed by Rian Johnson, has already passed the halfway mark of its filming activities. The movie’s production work is also expected to finish soon. Hamill, in his social media post, indicated that his previous “out of work” comment was referring to the impending end of the movie’s filming.

Mark Hamill
Actor Mark Hamill waves as he arrives at the premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Hollywood, California December 14, 2015. Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

He wrote, “I meant ‘out of work’ because #Ep8 is wrapping soon, OK?” He also appears to be asking his fans to wait for “Star Wars: Episode VIII” given the hashtags that he included in his post. He added the hashtags “#DontOverThinkEVERYTHING,” “#ParsingHamill” and “#WaitForVIII.”

Hamill stars as Luke Skywalker in the popular “Star Wars” movie series. The speculations surrounding his future participation in the franchise started when he appeared during a special The Big Issue magazine event held in London. The actor served as a host during the event where he interviewed the band, Ray Davies, Den of Geek reported. The interview was focused on the band and not “Star Wars.” However, Hamill made a small comment during the interview where he indicated that he will be out of work once he finishes “Star Wars 8.”

Although he did not state that the said movie will be his last, his statement led to speculations that he will not be appearing in “Star Wars: Episode IX.” The actor’s recent Twitter has now clarified that was referring to his employment status once “Star Wars 8” wraps up filming and not his participation in the movie franchise.

“Star Wars: Episode VIII” has been slated for release on Dec. 15, 2017, while “Star Wars: Episode IX” is expected to hit movie theaters in 2019.

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