Mark Hamill Isn’t Buying That Leaked Episode IX Poster

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

We’re approximately nine months away from the release of Star Wars: Episode IX, and a lot of Star Wars fans are eager for an official first look at the movie. While Disney and Lucasfilm have yet to provide anything on that front, earlier this week an Episode IX poster made the rounds on social media. Some assumed this was a legitimate peek at the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga, but Mark Hamill doesn’t believe it’s the real deal. When a fan inquired if this poster had been leaked and tagged Hamill in the Twitter post, the Luke Skywalker actor responded:

Doubtful. Looks like the work of a #UPF.

UPF apparently means Ultra Passionate Fan, and you could definitely count on someone like that putting in the time and effort on a Star Wars poster. Granted, unless Disney and Lucasfilm outright come out and debunk that this Star Wars: Episode IX poster is legitimate, we don’t know with 100% certainty that’s the case, but Mark Hamill made it clear on Twitter that he’s not buying its authenticity, and he’s sticking to his guns. When another user, Indie Revolver, followed up on Hamill’s original comment and said that the Episode IX poster is indeed legitimate (though not necessarily meant for the public), Hamill posted:

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Mark Hamill is referring to how C-3PO is holding a bowcaster, the kind of blaster Chewbacca frequently uses. The prospect of C-3PO firing on First Order stormtroopers is frankly hilarious given that aside from that time his head was attached to a battle droid’s body, the beloved, golden protocol droid has largely been a pacifist in the Star Wars universe. There are other interesting aspects of this Star Wars: Episode IX poster, like what looks to be the other Knights of Ren and red-colored stormtroopers resembling the Revenge of the Sith-era clone troopers, but for now, it’s unclear if it’s a true leak or a fan creation.

The only way we’ll know for sure whether or not this is an official Star Wars: Episode IX poster is when Lucasfilm finally starts marketing the movie, and that’s probably not too far off. Next month, the next Star Wars Celebration will be held in Chicago, and if it’s anything like the one in 2017, this could be when the first poster and trailer for Episode IX finally drop. It’ll be nice to finally have some footage/images to finally associate with Episode IX, although you can bet that keeping in ‘character,’ Lucasfilm will still remain as cagey as possible concerning what we can specifically expect from the plot.

No story details for Star Wars: Episode IX have been disclosed yet other than it will take place one year after the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with the Resistance still putting up a fight against The First Order using guerrilla tactics. Along with returning faces like Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and, of course, Mark Hamill, the movie will also bring in newcomers like Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Dominic Monaghan and Keri Russell, as well as Billy Dee Williams finally returning to the big screen as Lando Calrissian.

Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, browse through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out later this year.

Adam Holmes
Senior Content Producer

Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore, Adam is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He started working for the site back in late 2014 writing exclusively comic book movie and TV-related articles, and along with branching out into other genres, he also made the jump to editing. Along with his writing and editing duties, as well as interviewing creative talent from time to time, he also oversees the assignment of movie-related features. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, and he’s been sourced numerous times on Wikipedia. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.