Star Wars Episode IX was supposed to be about Carrie Fisher's General Leia
Carrie Fisher would have been front and centre of the final film in the latest trilogy
Episode VII was about Han Solo and Episode VIII will see Luke Skywalker front and centre, but Star Wars Episode IX would have been General Leia’s time to shine, Lucas Film boss Kathleen Kennedy has revealed.
Speaking with Vanity Fair ahead of the release of The Last Jedi this December, Kennedy confirmed that there were plans for Carrie Fisher’s legendary Leia to be right at the heart of the final instalment in the current trilogy before her death last Christmas.
“The minute she finished, she grabbed me and said, ‘I’d better be at the forefront of IX!’” Kennedy revealed. “Because Harrison was front and centre on VII, and Mark is front and centre on VIII. She thought IX would be her movie. And it would have been.”
Fans initially thought Fisher might still appear in Episode IX thanks to the same powers of digital recreation that allowed a younger version of her character to cameo in Rogue One, but Kennedy and LucasFilm have already confirmed that will not be happening.
Kennedy later revealed that Fisher would not be appearing in Episode IX at all.
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"By the time we were well underway with Episode IX in our thoughts, we had not written the scripts yet, but we've regrouped, we started over again in January. So sadly, Carrie will not be in IX," she told Good Morning America. "But we'll see a lot of her in VIII, which is great."
It is great, and after clapping eyes on those gorgeous new Annie Liebowitz cast portraits, we’re really excited to see Fisher’s Leia in action one final time.
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi opens in UK cinemas on December 15th
