Does Mark Hamill's new look hint at his role in Star Wars: Episode IX?

Mark Hamill has gone and groomed himself – and Star Wars fans are already speculating about what it may mean for his future in the film series.

**Spoilers for Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi to follow**

• JJ Abrams’ Star Wars Episode IX will go in “unexpected” directions
• When is Star Wars: Episode IX out in cinemas? UK release date, cast and plot
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg6P9QtRxps

Luke Skywalker met a tragic and controversial end in Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi, but many fans are still hopeful that he will feature in the upcoming Episode IX in one way or another, regardless. Hamill has suggested in the past that he would be open to it, but he told RadioTimes.com earlier this year that “We haven’t really discussed it, so it’s all in JJ’s [Abrams, who will direct episode IX] hands.”

Since then he's had the internet abuzz after posting a picture of himself clean shaven on Twitter, having shorn the beard that he has been sporting for the last few years – including in The Last Jedi. The snap has led some people on Twitter to suggest that he will appear as a Force ghost in the next Star Wars instalment, which is due to begin filming soon.

https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/1016800445061214209

"So... Force ghost Luke doesn't have a beard?" @RollyJogerJones wrote...

https://twitter.com/bedeviledwookie/status/1016801005772595200

https://twitter.com/Jaydy2007/status/1017089659711770624

https://twitter.com/rollyjogerjones/status/1016804404970827776

Although some reckon the clean shave indicates the film might travel back in time instead:

https://twitter.com/Rhynn14/status/1017098639225716736

https://twitter.com/alboy88/status/1016801351685365760

Of course, there is the possibility that Episode IX will be a Hamill-less occasion:

https://twitter.com/lizzelarsen/status/1017062912232390658

https://twitter.com/asmodai78/status/1016833276839747585

Or maybe we're all just barking up the wrong tree...

https://twitter.com/TomSolo1978/status/1017221154594017283

Whether or not Hamill appears in the final instalment of JJ Abrams' Star Wars trilogy, it is set to be a doozy. The Americans' star Keri Russell and Billy Dee Williams (who played Lando Calrissian in the original trilogy) are the latest to be added to a cast that already includes Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Lupita N'Yongo and Adam Driver. Find out everything you need to know about the film here.