Over the last week, rumors have surfaced that Lucasfilm was in talks with the estate of Carrie Fisher to possibly digitally recreate the late actress for Star Wars: Episode IX (she had already finished filming her scenes for Star Wars: Episode VIII before her death on December 27, 2016). In a rare case, Lucasfilm has put those rumors to rest with the following official statement:
We don’t normally respond to fan or press speculation, but there is a rumor circulating that we would like to address. We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher’s performance as Princess or General Leia Organa.
Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend. We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honor everything she gave to Star Wars.
If you’ve seen Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, you know Fisher was involved with that film, but that was with her permission and she was said to have loved it.
While Fisher was done with Episode VIII, the rumor stands that her role in Episode IX would have been bigger, which leaves us wondering how they will handle it story-wise. Will they be able to wrap up her arc in Episode VIII? We’ll have to wait and see.
Star Wars: Episode VIII, which is written and directed by Rian Johnson and continues the storylines introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, welcomes back cast members Mark Hamill, the late Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis. New cast members will include Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro, Academy Award nominee Laura Dern, and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran.
The sequel is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski.
Star Wars: Episode VIII is scheduled for release December 15, 2017.
