Why is Luke Skywalker missing from Star Wars promotions?

As anticipation about Star Wars: The Force Awakens continues to build, with the movie releasing on 25th December, the actor who plays the original trilogy's young hero Luke Skywalker has offered some new hints about the future of his character, leading some to speculate that Luke may end up as the forthcoming trilogy's arch-villain!!

According to Mark Hamill, Luke will not be returning to the series as the "innocent farm boy" he was in the earlier Star Wars movies. "Obviously you're seeing him in a very different time in his life; there are lots of surprises in this movie. You're going to love it," Hamill said while promoting The Force Awakens.

Fans are still in the dark about why Hamill hasn't appeared in any promotions for the new film. The most recent trailer for Star Wars 7: The Force Awakens - released last week and features a lot more of villain Kylo Ren, but nothing at all of Luke.

The character has been notably absent from all promotions related to the forthcoming sci-fi film.

So where is Luke? Asked recently by media to why the Jedi has been absent, Abrams responded cryptically: "These are good questions to be asking. I can't wait for you to find out the answers."

Find out more as Star Wars: The Force Awakens releases on 25th December 2015!