Fans felt certain a sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy would follow close on the heels of Return Of The Jedi's success, and back in 1983 Mark Hamill was all ready to star in the sequel.
Little did he know that George Lucas' prediction about it taking almost thirty years to bring that beloved space opera back to the big screen was nearly spot on.
(Warning: This video contains a minor spoiler if you haven't seen The Force Awakens yet)
On a side note- who brings a baby to a talk show taping?
-Via Geek Universe
Am I one of the only old fans who remembers George Lucas' original promise of 9 movies and they would be released in the order 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9? So we knew that movie 7 would be way in the future (well, in our time since the Star Wars events are in the past).
I was really upset when Mr. Lucas reneged on his promise and said only 6 movies were going to be made--and I was glad when he changed his tune and honored his original promise.
So I knew (since about late 1976 or in '77) that sequels were on their way.