A Lost Mark Hamill Movie Is Being Released After A Decade
Mark Hamill is one of the most popular figures in nerd culture, but it has still taken a decade to get this movie released.
Mark Hamill is best known for portraying the iconic Star Wars hero, Luke Skywalker. The actor has a lot of voice work, including voicing the villainous DC character The Joker. One of the projects that many of Hamill’s fans may not know of is the 2013 film Virtually Heroes. The film was an official selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival but never received a distribution deal. According to Variety, Screen Media has nabbed the North American distribution rights to the Roger Corman-produced action comedy. The film will have a limited theatrical and digital release this December.
The Mark Hamill action comedy centers on two self-aware characters in what Variety calls a “Call of Duty” inspired video game. The characters battle endless enemies and their own self-existential crises. Hamill plays a “Yoda-like” monk who guides the two characters through their video game journey. The project is directed by GJ Echternkamp, who directed the 2019 action film The Car: Road to Revenge. The film also stars Robert Baker (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Brent Chase (Shameless), and Katie Savoy (How I Met Your Mother). Director Echternkamp also produced the project, which will premiere on streaming in 2023.
Screen Media has partnered with Popcornflix, a Crackle Plus platform, to present the project to streaming audiences. When describing the Mark Hamill action comedy, Screen Media said in a statement about the release that the project is “the perfect blend of action and tongue-in-cheek comedy.” Director Echternkamp expressed his excitement for the release of the cult movie, which for almost a decade has been kept locked up somewhere. The distribution deal was negotiated by Senior Manager of Digital Acquisitions Brendan Murray on behalf of Screen Media with New Horizons Picture Corporation. The project is just one of many from legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman.
Mark Hamill has starred, produced, and directed many projects that have never been seen in theaters. In 2004, he directed and produced a direct-to DVD mockumentary titled Comic Book: The Movie. The project centered on a character named Donald Swan, who battled a fictional film studio that greenlights a film based on his favorite comic book hero. Hamill also made cameos in other projects after his famous debut as Luke Skywalker in Stars Wars. The actor faced typecasting in Hollywood following his breakthrough performance in the 1977 George Lucas space epic. After Return of the Jedi in 1983, Hamill took a significant break from Stars Wars. He eventually returned to the franchise in the 2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Many fans consider Mark Hamill one of the founders of geek culture. A project such as Virtually Heroes fits right up the Star Wars actor’s alley. Hamill doesn’t have many other projects on his schedule, though the legendary comedian has always been busy signing autographs and appearing at meet-and-greets. A name such as Hamill may bring a lot of eyes to the Corman-produced project, which will finally be seen by audiences of the genre. Virtually Heroes is one of many Corman films that Screen Media hopes to bring to streaming.
