Carrie Fisher, the actress giving her features to Princess Leia and died in December 2016, will return to the Star Wars saga thanks to unused images shot for Episode VII, The Force Awakens.
Carrie Fisher will be there
Less than a week before the start of filming the ninth episode of the Star Wars saga, Disney has unveiled the cast of this opus : what was not the general surprise at the announcement of the return of Carrie Fisher, interpreter of the mythical role of Princess Leia, almost two years after her death. Indeed, it was decided that the production could use footage shot by J.J. Abrams for The Force Awakens, which had not been integrated into the previous two episodes.
The director made a statement on this subject:
"We desperately loved Carrie Fisher. Finding an entirely satisfactory conclusion to the Skywalker saga without it eluded us. It was out of the question to recast or have a character in computer graphics. With the support and agreement of her daughter, Billie, we figured out how to honor Carrie's legacy in Episode IX using never-before-seen footage shot for Episode VII."
The not-so-unexpected return of Mark Hamill
Another good surprise in the cast: the presence of Mark Hamill, interpreter of Luke Skywalker, has indeed been confirmed on the set of this ninth episode of Star Wars. attention! spoilers about The Last Jedi : his character disappeared at the end of Episode VIII, following his confrontation with Kylo Ren.It remains to be seen in what form one of the leading actors of the saga will return. Will it be a spectral return, like many Jedi Knights after their death, or will it be somewhere in the flesh (in a flashback for example)? No information has filtered for the moment on this subject, case to follow …
And the rest of the cast?
Most of the main actors of episodes VII and VIII will be present again: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo and Billie Lourd. Added to this list are Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Billy Dee Williams, returning as Lando Calrissian.
The filming of episode IX of Star Wars will begin this August 1st in London, under the direction of J.J Abrams and Victoria Mahoney, for a release of the film scheduled for December 2019.
