Conservatives Are Trying to Boycott a ‘Star Wars’ Movie Mark Hamill Is Not In
‘I was wishing him the opposite of dead’
Conservatives, livid over a recent post by Mark Hamill on Bluesky, are calling for a boycott of the upcoming Star Wars movie The Mandalorian and Grogu, despite the fact that the actor isn’t even in it. On May 6, 2026, Hamill posted an AI-generated image of Donald Trump in a shallow grave, surrounded by daisies in front of a headstone marked “1946-2024.” According to Variety, Hamill later deleted the post.
However, the White House’s Rapid Response account on X slammed Hamill as a “sick individual.” It said “These Radical Left lunatics just can’t help themselves. This kind of rhetoric is exactly what has inspired three assassination attempts in two years against our President.” As a result, right-leaning activists are using the incident to rally opposition against Disney’s latest Star Wars release.
The caption of Hamill’s post read, “If Only,” and his own commentary stated, “If Only – He should live long enough to witness his inevitable devastating loss in the midterms, be held accountable for his unprecedented corruption, impeached, convicted & humiliated for his countless crimes. Long enough to realize he’ll be disgraced in the history books, forevermore. don_TheCON.”
The post quickly drew outrage
Hamill later clarified his stance in a follow-up post on May 7, writing, “Accurate Edit for Clarity: ‘He should live long enough to… be held accountable for his… crimes.’ Actually, I was wishing him the opposite of dead, but apologize if you found the image inappropriate.” The actor, best known for playing Luke Skywalker, has been a vocal critic of Trump.
“The bullying, the incompetence, the people in place… The only way I can deal with it… is to look at it like a thick, sprawling political novel. It’s entertaining in a way because this could actually be the end. Our status in the world has been crippled and that will reverberate for decades,” Hamill had said in an interview last year.
The controversy has now spilled over into Disney’s orbit, threatening to overshadow the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first Star Wars theatrical film in nearly seven years. While Hamill has no role in the new movie, his decades-long association with the franchise has made it impossible to separate the backlash from the brand.
Conservative activist Jack Posobiec, affiliated with Turning Point USA, took to social media to urge followers to boycott the film, and his post quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of views. Other right-leaning influencers have since amplified the call, framing the boycott as a response to what they see as Disney’s increasingly political stance.
This isn’t the first time Disney has found itself at the center of a culture war
The company has been a frequent target of conservative criticism, particularly over its perceived “woke” policies. In 2022, Disney became embroiled in a public feud with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, a move that damaged the company’s standing among conservatives and even impacted its bottom line.
The fallout has extended to some of Disney’s biggest projects, including the live-action remake of Snow White, which was panned by critics and underperformed at the box office after facing backlash for its attempts to modernize the classic fairytale. According to Newsweek, Disney’s late-night programming has also drawn fire. Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly suspended by ABC in September after Kimmel made remarks about the murder of Charlie Kirk.
The show was reinstated, but the controversy didn’t end. In April, Kimmel joked that Melania Trump had the “glow of an expectant widow.” The Federal Communications Commission later confirmed that it had received a “call-in” for early renewal of ABC’s station licenses in response.
Disney said that ABC and its stations have a long record of compliance with federal broadcasting rules and that it is prepared to defend its licenses through appropriate legal channels.
The backlash isn’t just coming from a vocal minority
Research conducted in 2024 found that while Disney’s overall unfavorability rating isn’t sky-high, it is disproportionately concentrated among conservatives. According to the data, 30% of Republicans and 26% of independents view Disney negatively, compared to just 8% of Democrats. That divide has made it increasingly difficult for Disney to navigate the cultural landscape, especially when its biggest franchises become entangled in political disputes.
For The Mandalorian and Grogu, the timing of this controversy couldn’t be worse. The film is set to open on May 22, marking Star Wars’ return to theaters after a nearly seven-year hiatus. Early industry tracking suggests it could debut with around $80 million domestically over the four-day Memorial Day weekend.
While that would be a strong opening by most blockbuster standards, it would represent the lowest debut for a live-action Star Wars film in the franchise’s modern history even below Solo: A Star Wars Story. This movie opened to roughly $104 million over the same holiday frame in 2018 and was widely considered a financial disappointment.
With a reported production budget of approximately $165 million before marketing, The Mandalorian and Grogu will need strong international performance and sustained attendance to break even. The irony is that Star Wars is currently enjoying one of its strongest critical moments in years on streaming. Lucasfilm’s animated series Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord debuted in April with a rare 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The show became one of Disney+’s most-watched titles, proving that the Star Wars brand remains culturally potent, just not necessarily in theaters. That contrast highlights Disney’s dilemma: while the franchise thrives in the streaming era, its ability to dominate the box office is no longer a given.
(Featured image: John Sears)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Follow The Mary Sue:
