Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy appeared on Good Morning America to clarify recent rumors that the late Carrie Fisher would be appearing as Princess Leia in not only the upcomingย Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi, but also the untitledย Episode 9. Essentially, fans should not get their hopes up; see what Kennedy has to say about it below:
EXCLUSIVE: Lucasfilm President Kathy Kennedy says Carrie Fisher will NOT be in @StarWars Episode 9 as General Leia. #SWCO #TheLastJedi pic.twitter.com/gxH80QteYb
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 14, 2017
If you’re unable to watch, Kennedy states, “Carrie is phenomanal in [The Last Jedi], and we’re so happy that we were able to complete shooting in the summer. Unfortunately, Carrie passed away, so by the time we were well under way with Episode 9, in our thoughts. We had not written the script yet. But we’ve regrouped, we started over again in January, so, sadly, Carrie will not be in [Episode] 9. We’ll see a lot of her in [Episode] 8, which is great.”
Fisher passed away in December after suffering a massive heart attack onboard a flight. Her condition was announced as stable at the scene, but she did not see much improvement in the hospital and died just a few days later. Her mother, Debbie Reynolds, died the very next day.
Fisher’s iconic role as Princess Leia is one of the most memorable heroines ever put to screen. She played a small part in 2015’sย Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens, and it sounds like her role in the upcomingย Last Jedi is much more substantial. Sadly, that will be the last we see of the sci-fi legend.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set to release on December 15, 2017. Fisher will be joined onscreen in the film by her daughter, Billie Lorde, who plays a rebel officer named Lieutenant Connix. Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming film as it becomes available.
Sad Fisher won’t appear in Episode 9? Or would you rather she gets a good sendoffrather than Disney mess with CGI characters again? Let us know in the comments below.
