The Late, Great Carrie Fisher May Appear in Star Wars: Episode 9
Ater Carrie Fisher’s death in December, the future of the last couple of
Star Wars movies seemed uncertain. Fans were relieved to hear that her work on
The Last Jedi, which will hit theaters this December, was completed before her death, but rumors swirled that Lucasfilm might try to digitally add her into the final movie, as with Peter Cushing in last year’s
Rogue One. Lucasfilm, thankfully,
released a statement in January saying that they will not be doing that, but Fisher will be in
Episode IX: her brother
Todd Fisher says that he and her daughter
Billie Lourd have given Lucasfilm the right to use recent footage of her for the film.
“Both of us were like, ‘Yes, how do you take her out of it?’ And the answer is you don't,” Fisher told the
New York Daily News at the opening night of TCM Film Festival in Los Angeles. “She’s as much a part of it as anything and I think her presence now is even more powerful than it was, like Obi Wan—when the saber cuts him down he becomes more powerful. I feel like that’s what’s happened with Carrie. I think the legacy should continue.”
We know next to nothing about
The Last Jedi and how General Leia will figure into the plot, but director
Rian Johnson has said that her role is bigger than in 2015’s
The Force Awakens.
“I’m not the only part in that equation, but I think the people deserve to have her,” said Fisher. “She’s owned by them.”
Lucasfilm has also said that none of the plot of the final
Star Wars film would be rewritten because of Fisher’s death. What this means for exactly
how they’ll have her in the film without digitally recreating her appearance remains to be seen.
“You don’t mess with this legacy,” Fisher said. “It would be like rewriting the Bible. To me,
Star Wars is the holy grail of storytelling and lore and you can’t mess with it.”
Move some scenes to Episode 9 and rework the story slightly.