As STAR WARS: EPISODE IX gears up to start production this week we recently got a full list of returning and new cast members, confirming the late Carrie Fisher will indeed have a role in the movie. Star Mark Hamill – whose Luke Skywalker will also be returning – took to social media to share a post that addressed Fisher’s role in the film, calling the final outing “bittersweet.”
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Hamill issued the post yesterday, sharing a few photos with the caption reading, “It’s bittersweet facing my final chapter without her-She is simply irreplaceable. I’m finding solace in the fact that she won’t BE replaced & would love the worldwide outpouring of affection from those who loved her when they heard the news. #CarrieOnForever.”
Fisher passed away December 27, 2016, which was after she completed work on STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI but long before work was to begin on EPISODE IX. There were questions regarding how they would handle her passing in the movie, with options for recasting or using a CG rendering of her (much like in ROGUE ONE) being out of the question. With last week’s cast reveal it was announced she will have a place in the movie via unused footage from STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS.
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Director J.J. Abrams spoke on the matter, saying, “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher. Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII.”
STAR WARS: EPISODE IX arrives December 20, 2019.