Mark Hamill Thanks Peyton Reed For “Unexpected Opportunity” To Feature Luke Skywalker In ‘The Mandalorian’ Finale

The Mandalorian‘s second season came to an end nearly a month ago, but the buzz and excitement around the finale continues to unfurl well into the new year.

Directed by Ant-Man helmer Peyton Reed, The Mandalorian season two finale sees new faces of the Star Wars franchise come together with the classic characters that started the whole thing. After journeying with the titular character, The Child (a.k.a. Baby Yoda or Grogu) joins Luke Skywalker (a CGI’ed version of Mark Hamill) and R2-D2 to train in the ways of the Jedi.

For Reed, working with Luke himself was a dream come true, he revealed on social media.

“STAR WARS, and Luke Skywalker in particular, meant a great deal to me,” Reed wrote to Hamill, sharing and black and white photo of the Star Wars actor on set. “Some things never change.”

While Reed paid tribute to the original Jedi, Hamill expressed gratitude to the Ant-Man and the Wasp director for his work on the season finale.

“I am so grateful to have been given the unexpected opportunity to revisit my character when he was still a symbol of hope & optimism,” Hamill wrote. “Your assured direction & kindness was a crucial element in the experience & means more to me than I can say.”