Disney CEO pledges to help dying father see new 'Star Wars' movie early with son

Like many Star Wars fans, the moment I watched the movies I was hooked for life. It doesn't matter if you saw Star Wars when it first hit movie theaters back in 1977, or if you first watched the prequels kick off with Phantom Menace back in 1999, or even if you were hooked on Disney's new reboot with Episodes VII - Star Wars has been delighting generations for decades.

Now, this Christmas, fans of the saga are preparing for the end of the third trilogy, when Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker hits cinemas on December 19.

The trailer for the final movie looks incredible:

However, for one dying father, he may not live long enough to see the end of a story he has loved for so long. Thankfully, the kind people at Rowans Hospice in Waterlooville, Hampshire - who are currently caring for the man - are doing all they can to make sure he sees the movie with his son.

The hospice tweeted out: "Can you help? We have a patient who's a HUGE #StarWars fan. Sadly, time is not on his side for the 20th Dec. His wish is to see the final Star Wars film #RiseOfSkywalker with his young son. If you know ANYBODY who might be able to make it happen, please share with them. Thank you".

After being retweeted more than 1200 times - and even tweeting Star Wars legend Mark Hamill and director JJ Abrams, it looks like there could be some hope for this wonderful cause.

Hamill - who plays Star Wars legend Luke Skywalker - responded to the hospice on Twitter, saying: "Contact @Disney. They are the only ones who can make this happen. Good luck!"

Check out Carrie Fisher's early audition with Harrison Ford:

As a result, Chief Executive Officer of Disney Robert Iger has been in contact with the hospice, telling them on Twitter: "Please provide me with the necessary details and we will certainly try."

The hospice replied, writing: "Good morning, Mr Iger. Thank you so much for trying to help with this when time is absolutely of the essence."

Former CEO Michael Eisner has also wished the family good luck, writing: "I see you are in contact with Bob Iger. He is the one that can get this done. Good luck."