By After the death of Carrie Fisher late last year, people wondered whether or not she would appear in Star Wars Episode IX. Given how certain actors were recreated with CG in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, there was some speculation that there may be a digital double of Fisher in the next Star Wars movie. Kathleen Kennedy met with Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow to discuss what to do.
According to a report from the New York Daily News, Carrie Fisher will appear in Star Wars Episode IX, but a CG double will not be created. Instead, existing footage of Carrie Fisher will be used to put General Leia into the film. Carrie’s brother Todd Fisher and her daughter Billie Lourd have cleared the use of this footage. Todd Fisher said the following during the TCM Film Festival:
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 [Star Wars] 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 still unclear how big a role Leia will play in Episode IX, though there was speculation she would be a prominent part of the story. We’ll see how this integration of existing footage works in a few years. It’s certainly a more respectful route than CG doubles.
[New York Daily News via /Film]