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Carrie Fisher In ‘Star Wars’: Film’s Producers Confirm That The Late Actress Will Not Appear In Episode IX?

By Bernadette Giacomazzo
Published on: 12:10 PST, Dec 27, 2016

With the passing of the so-called “People’s Princess” earlier today, the question of the role of Carrie Fisher in Star Wars remains a question on many sci-fi fans minds. Though no official statement has been released about what will happen to the role of Princess Leia in the as-yet-unfilmed Star Wars: Episode IX, there is a chance that Star Wars fans who want to see the plucky princess one last time will get their wish.

According to the latest news from The Comeback, fans who are hoping to see Carrie Fisher in Star Wars: Episode VIII will get their wish. They have confirmed that Princess Leia — now known as General Leia Organa — will play a much larger role in the newest Star Wars film, which is set to be released in December of next year.

Carrie had already filmed her parts for Episode VIII when she passed away, so her place in that part of the new trilogy is secure. But the question remains: how will Carrie’s death be handled in the Star Wars films going forward?

According to USA Today, fans may not see Carrie Fisher in Star Wars: Episode IX. The outlet reached out to Lucasfilm and Disney for comment, and when they went to print, there had yet to receive a response. However, they speculate that the last time fans will see Carrie Fisher in Star Wars is, indeed, in Episode VIII.

“We know that the movie is supposed to be darker than The Force Awakens in its tone. I would assume we should anticipate an onscreen reunion between Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Leia, given that he’s going to be more prominent in Episode VIII. But what isn’t clear is whether or not they had planned to put her in Episode IX as well, or if she had signed to do future Star Wars movies.”

Still, CNN speculates something completely different about if — or, more importantly, when — the last time we will see Carrie Fisher in Star Wars. According to them, thanks to the power of modern technology, we could see Carrie Fisher in Episode IX, as well.

The outlet speculates that Lucasfilm will use the same technology that was used to “resurrect” Paul Walker from the dead during the shooting of The Fast and the Furious 7. Fans will recall that Paul Walker died from a car crash on November 30, 2013, but he still appeared in the seventh installment of the successful franchise. The actor’s brothers served as stand-ins for the late actor, and he was inserted into the film using CGI technology.

Furthermore, this wouldn’t be the first time that this technology was used to bring a dead actor back to life in the Star Wars franchise. Fans of the series who have seen Rogue One will attest that one of the biggest thrills in the film was to see the late Peter Cushing, who died in 1994, brought back to life as the evil Grand Moff Tarkin.

“Those shortcomings, as well as the audience’s knowledge about an actor’s death, risk taking the viewer out of the movie-going experience. That’s particularly true given the bittersweet quality that will surround seeing Fisher in Episode VIII, which will open in December 2017, given her 40-year association with ‘Star Wars’ and how pivotal she has been to the blockbuster franchise, not just as Leia but as herself too. It’s as hard to imagine anyone else in the role as it is digitally conjuring more than a scene or two from footage of Fisher herself.”

Do you think we will see Carrie Fisher in Star Wars again?

[Featured Image by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]

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