Update: Carrie Fisher will not be appearing in Star Wars: Episode IX

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Update: Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was asked about Todd Fisher's statement by Good Morning America today and said that "sadly, Carrie will not be in 9, [but] we'll see a lot of her in 8." There we have it.

Although Carrie Fisher had completed her work on STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI before her untimely passing, there was the question of just how Lucasfilm would handle the character of General Leia when it came time for STAR WARS: EPISODE IX. After rumours emerged that Lucasfilm would pull a ROGUE ONE and feature a CG Leia, the studio was quick to respond that they had "no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher’s performance as Princess or General Leia Organa." However, that doesn't mean that Fisher can't still make an appearance in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX.

While speaking with the New York Daily News at the TCM Film Festival, Carrie Fisher's brother Todd revealed that both himself and Carrie's daughter, Billie Lourd, have granted Lucasfilm the rights to use "recent footage" of Carrie Fisher for STAR WARS: EPISODE IX.

Both of us were like, ‘Yes, how do you take her out of it?’ And the answer is you don't. 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.

It's also said that CGI will NOT be used to recreate Leia, meaning that Lucasfilm would have to make due with whatever footage they can pull from THE FORCE AWAKENS or THE LAST JEDI. Even though this seems to come from Todd Fisher, it's probably best to take it with a grain of salt as we don't know for sure how, or even if, General Leia will figure into the plot of STAR WARS: EPISODE IX. Even Todd Fisher isn't sure what Lucasfilms' plans are, saying that he's "not the only part in that equation, but I think the people deserve to have her. She's owned by them."

Carrie Fisher's role in STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI will hopefully be a great send off for the actress, but her absence in EPISODE IX will definitely be felt, especially as her role was rumoured to have been an even larger one than what she had in THE FORCE AWAKENS or THE LAST JEDI. I'm at a loss as to what the proper approach is when it comes to including Carrie Fisher in EPISODE IX, after all, she's just as important to the STAR WARS franchise as Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), but I suppose we'll have to wait to see where THE LAST JEDI takes her character. You are missed, Carrie Fisher.

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI will hit theaters on December 15, 2017 and STAR WARS: EPISODE IX is set for a 2019 release.