Late last year, Fandomwire released an exclusive report revealing that Disney+ was in the early developmental stages of a Luke Skywalker series, confirming many rumors circulating the internet that another young Luke story would be coming out.
Almost nothing is known about the project, but one thing is for sure: Fans are demanding that Sebastian Stan from Falcon and the Winter Soldier play Luke Skywalker.
While Disney has not made any official statements to confirm the Skywalker series, it was announced last December during Disney's Investor Day that Disney+ would be releasing 10 new Star Wars series over the next few years.
Fans of both the Star Wars and Marvel Universes have been remarking on the uncanny resemblance between Sebastian Stan and the young Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, for years — so much so that in 2017, Hamill himself addressed the fans about his doppelganger through a tweet:
A side-by-side comparison of the two actors can even be seen in this deepfake video which digitally renders Stan's face onto Luke's body in scenes from Return of the Jedi.
Star Wars and Marvel enthusiasts have been so enthusiastic in their support that the topic was brought up a few weeks ago while Sebastian was promoting Falcon and the Winter Soldier live on Good Morning America.
When asked about the possibility of playing a young Luke, Stan avoided the question, only commenting that he would need Hamill's full blessing if he were to take the torch as Skywalker.
However, based on Stan's comments at a Rhode Island Comic-Con appearance back in 2017, it seems that the star would be up to taking on the role. Stan, onstage with his Marvel co-star, Paul Bettany, made a point of the fact that he was willing to talk to anyone, anytime about playing Luke Skywalker.
After Stan's recent appearance on Good Morning America, Hamil shared an interesting, if somewhat confusing, tweet on the subject just a few days later. Mark simply replied that he has no say in any Star Wars castings. Many fans are still waiting for Hamill to give direct approval to Sebastian Stan, even if it isn't necessarily needed, and Stan clearly wants to know that Hamill is okay with him playing Luke, but for some reason Hamill is choosing to tread lightly on the matter.
What does this mean for the future of Bucky Barnes?
With the possibility of Stan taking on a new Star Wars project, we can't help but wonder if that might mean the ending of Bucky Barnes in the MCU. After all, Bucky has been around just as long as Captain America and Iron Man, two Avengers that we saw retire at the end of Endgame.
Spoiler Alert!
As the episodes of Falcon and the Winter Soldier unravel, it seems that Bucky's story is heading down an unfortunate path. When we first see Bucky in the new series, we find him troubled with vivid dreams from his past as a HYDRA killer. In the first episode, it's revealed that the former Winter Soldier is neighbors and friends with Yori, the elderly father of a man Bucky assassinated years ago. Bucky struggles with what he did, and almost reveals the truth to the man at the end of the episode, before abruptly leaving in turmoil.
With only two episodes of the series left to air on Disney+, it's very likely we will get some sort of conclusion to the relationship between Bucky and Yori. Will he tell Yori the truth? Will Bucky possibly die while saving Yori? Or will Zemo be the one to finally end Bucky's 106 long years of life?
Whether or not Sebastian Stan ends up playing Luke Skywalker in any upcoming roles, there's a good chance Bucky Barnes's time with the Avengers is coming to an end. Again, while there's been no official confirmation of the series yet from Disney, and therefore no timeline of release dates, fans are going to be pissed if Disney casts anyone but Sebastian Stan as Luke Skywalker.