Mark Hamill On The Original Plans For Carrie Fisher In Star Wars Episode IX
Mark Hamill recently got to speak at the New York Comic Con about Star Wars Episode IX, specifically discussing the kind of role that Carrie Fisher would have had in the Sequel Trilogy’s closing chapter.
USA Today recently heard an excerpt of Hamill’s discussion at NYCC when the subject of Carrie Fisher’s final performance as Leia came up:
“You’re going to really love her in (Last Jedi). I know they’re going to try and find a way to close her story in (Episode) 9 that gives her the respect she deserves, because (Han Solo) was more prominent in 7 (The Force Awakens), Luke’s a little more prominent in 8, and certainly Leia was meant to be more prominent in 9. Worldwide, everyone feels that gap she left, but we all have to hang in there.”
I’ve personally speculated that Episode IX will still fundamentally be about Leia, but it will focus on her absence as opposed to her intended presence prior to Fisher’s death. My guess is that we’ll see Leia represented in some way in the movie itself – even though Lucasfilm have denied this, they’ve only explicitly said that they won’t be creating an “artificial” performance akin to Leia’s cameo in the last scene of Rogue One. Perhaps a sound-alike could record dialogue left either as one of Leia’s final messages to the Resistance and/or the New Republic, or we could hear her communicate via the Force after she’s passed away. In any case, it seems like she will have a major part to play in Luke Skywalker’s return – and whatever fate has in store for her troubled son.
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
A mother’s redeeming love would have been quite a powerful parallel to end the trilogy. Guess the writers have a challenge ahead of them.
ah. Um, yes the writers. That’s JJ and the guy that wrote Batman Vs Superman. Yep I’m guessing they will be challenged!
He also wrote Argo, so
Apparently everyone has one good novel in them 🙂
Argo is a film.
I’m aware of that. The expression refers to a novel though.
I wonder if any of the earliest rumours ( going way, way back before Carrrie Fisher’s passing ) that Leia would suffer an injury and would out of the movie for a large portion of EP 8, now be rejigged somewhat?
Perhaps a hologram message left with R2 using some unused footage, slightly changed via cgi and a voice actor
Like memoirs? I think it’s neat idea.
Yes, like R2 was recording events the whole time, it will only work if R2 was in the scene at the time. Mix in a voice actor and shot from behind they could have ‘Leia’ give one last message
I’d never heard that idea before but that actually sounds like a good idea.
thanks for the news 🙂
Force Ghost.
I could see them as having footage meant for Episode VIII, perhaps of her on a ship, then use that near the beginning of IX and have the ship get shot down by the First Order. Something along those lines, perhaps.
Recast???
I really hope they just recast Leia and finish her story out in a satisfying way. it’s the best option available to honor Carrie, and to do justice to the character she originated and then brought back.
I wondered if Trevorrow ‘leaving’, had anything to do with losing Carrie.
I mean, that one hell of a whole to fill. To call it a challenge is an understatement.
It might have been partly where things started to go wrong.
Personally I wouldn’t mind if they did the whole CGI resurrection thing with her. So long as it’s done as well as they can do it.
Recast seems like the best course of action. The character is bigger then the actor. No disrespect towards Carrie Fisher though.