Star Wars has a pretty huge effect on the fans who grew up with the franchise, and some of them have even grown up to become moviemakers themselves. So when Matthew Vaughn, lifelong devotee to George Lucas’ sci-fi creation, got to direct Mark Hamill himself, he absolutely felt starstruck. To be honest, no one could blame him, as The King’s Man co-writer/director had feelings that pretty much mirrored what you’d expect from meeting the man who helped bring Luke Skywalker to life.
As Matthew Vaughn sat down to an exclusive roundtable of journalists to promote his latest project, CinemaBlend was on hand to ask and listen to other questions that covered pretty much every aspect of his career. When asked if he’d love to make a Star Wars movie, Matthew Vaughn was absolutely excited about the possibility, though he was honest in saying he didn’t think he’d be considered. Describing his love and fandom for the legendary series of films, Mr. Vaughn then told the following story about directing Hamill in 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service:
And the most starstruck I've ever, ever been looking through the camera was at Mark Hamill. I mean, I was just ‘I've got fucking Luke Skywalker sitting in front of me saying, ‘What you want me to do, Matthew?’’ And I'm like it’s Luke Skywalker, and I was like ‘do not look like a fanboy nerd right now. Play it cool.’
With Mark Hamill cast as Professor James Arnold, a key figure in deciphering the plans of Samuel L. Jackson’s villainous Valentine, Kingsman: The Secret Service put Matthew Vaughn face to face with his childhood idol. That sort of opportunity would melt anyone’s mind down to the most basic of chemistry sets, and for the most part, Vaughn lived up to his pledge to play it cool. Eventually his inner fanboy would come out to play thanks to a very special announcement being made while filming his 2014 sleeper hit. Here’s how the game changed when Star Wars: The Force Awakens was confirmed as going into production:
I drove him nuts because then it just got a-you know, that was when it-it got announced and he was gonna be in [Star Wars]. And I was like, ‘Dude, you’ve gotta tell me what's going on, what's going on?’ And he didn't say zippo to me.
Just as Mark Hamill is an expert in fan-based interrogations, Matthew Vaughn is enough of a professional to be able to film two pivotal scenes with his boyhood idol and get the job done. Whether or not he’ll be approached for a Star Wars gig in the future remains to be seen. In all honesty, with the plans he has for the Kingsman and King’s Man films, Mr. Vaughn’s schedule will probably be swamped. So perhaps a journey to a galaxy far, far away isn’t exactly in the cards at the moment.
The latest chapter in the Kingsman Cinematic Universe is currently in theaters, with The King’s Man ready to delight fans of gentlemanly combat and ribald comedy. Should you want to get a jump on taking a look into the future of moviegoing, the 2022 release schedule is available for your viewing pleasure as well. Either way, your holidays are set to carry on with whatever movie magic you choose to indulge in.
