Hamill’s character Luke Skywalker was seen dying at the end of The Last Jedi, after using a Force Projection to show up on Crait and face Kylo Ren.
With Episode 9 production expected to start in the very near future, Hamill had been coy on whether or not he would make an appearance.
Of course Force Ghosts are very much part of the Star Wars universe; with Obi-Wan and Yoda each making multiple appearances.
But now fans may have spotted a hint that Hamill won’t be back at all.
The star made no secret of the fact that he only grew out his facial hair for work purposes – but now he seems to have shaved it all off.
“Mark Hamill shaved his beard. Does this make it less likely he’ll appear in Episode IX?,” user Aequitassb asked on Reddit.
Opinion was then split over whether the new look was being interpreted wrong – and indeed on whether or not it was silly to even try using the clean shave as any kind of indicator in the first place.
But if Hamill were to return, it’s possible that JJ Abrams would opt for a Luke without facial hair, in line with his appearance in the original trilogy.
It’s also a possibility that he will shoot any scenes at the tail end of production – meaning he would have a lot of time yet before he’s due on-set.
Asked recently by Collider if Luke will be seen one final time, the iconic actor seemed coy.
“I don’t know,” he maintained. “I’m the last to know.”
But hinting that a “surprise” is possible, he said: “I like it that way… I like surprises….
“When I know something, I’ll let you know.”
Star Wars: Episode 9 is out on December 20, 2019.