By It’s been almost three years since the sad passing of Carrie Fisher, whose final big screen performance as Princess Leia Organa in The Last Jedi gave fans a bittersweet sendoff to the beloved actress and writer. Amidst the tears, there was some wonder how the franchise could possibly continue without such a crucial element in Fisher’s performance, though it was assured that the subsequent Star Wars film would feature enough coverage already shot to give Leia a proper resolution. Though that resolution might not have been what the writers over at Disney had originally envisioned.
In a recent interview with Yahoo, Fisher’s brother Todd revealed some interesting details as to how Leia’s character was planned to move forward in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, the upcoming finale to the saga started in 1977 by George Lucas and the original cast of Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford.
Be warned that, though the details Todd elaborates on in the interview are his word, and not Disney’s, and that Fisher’s passing would seem to dismiss these details from appearing in Episode IX, they may appear in some capacity, and may be considered by some to be spoilers.
Speaking to Yahoo, Todd Fisher revealed that there were plans at LucasFilm to develop Leia’s hinted Force-sensitivity, and in fact have her evolve to the same level of lightsaber-wielding as brother Luke (Mark Hamill). “She was going to be the big payoff in the final film. She was going to be the last Jedi, so to speak. That’s cool right?”
Todd goes on to describe the sensitive approach taken up by Rise of Skywalker director JJ Abrams, whom he describes as being “great friends” with his sister. With eight minutes of Fisher’s unused performance filmed, the footage was “reverse-engineered” by Abrams and the wizards at Disney and LucasFilm to create a sendoff for not only the character, but the woman.
“This is, in its own way, a payoff. … It’s Carrie talking to us all from beyond. The beautiful thing about the concept of the Force is that there is no real death; you just exist in another dimension. So Carrie is looking down or sideways or wherever and is still part of us. To be able to see that — it’s magical stuff only in the movies.”
For the full interview, head over to Yahoo. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker opens December 20.