Mark Hamill: From Luke Skywalker to Comic Book Creator

Everyone knows who Luke Skywalker is: the sandy haired hero of the "Star Wars" movie whose best friends were two robots named C3PO and R2D2. Mark Hamill, who portrayed Luke in the movie, has now taken on a new venture: directing a movie based on a comic book he created.

"The Black Pearl" is about an average guy with a not-so-average mission: getting involved in crime solving and justice when he discover a neighbor of his is kidnapped. Living in a world of overexposure to violence, the hero is not quite as desensitized to the media and decides to take justice in his own hands. Hamill describes the project as being less than glamorous on the present Hollywood standards when it comes to action adventures and prefers to liken it to something more comparable to film noir. Think "Contraband" or "The Blue Dahlia." While Hamill no doubt has the perfect concept for a superhero film not quite in the style of "Superman" or "Spiderman", "The Black Pearl" is not one that will have an extravagant budget, either. As critical as Hamill has been about George Lucas and the "Star Wars" franchise, it is expected that his new directing project will offer an alternative to films that are made simply for the sake of making movies. Taking the artistic approach to directing, Hamill calls his film "real world documentary style" that will easily draw viewers into imaging themselves as being active participants in the movie, not just passive viewers who will most likely forget the movie by the time they get home from the cinema. Mark Hamill definitely has what it takes to make such a movie, as he definitely has the talent to create a work of art that will garner him a few awards as a director.

Mark Hamill has long loved comic books since he was a child. In 2004 he made a movie titled "Comic Book: The Movie" which was released directly on video and documents a comic book convention where the favorite heroes of fan Donald Swan (portrayed by Hamill) are profiled in a story of his creation. Comic veterans Sid Caesar and Jonathan Winters also made an appearance in the movie. The movie has the feeling of a cult classic and is one that die-hard Mark Hamill fans should not miss. "The Black Pearl" will definitely be a hit for Hamill and bring back great memories for his fans everywhere.

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