Before Carrie Fisher died on December 26, she has already completed filming as her iconic character Princess Leia for “Star Wars Episode 8” which is due to hit theaters in December this year.
So that takes care of one problem for Disney Pictures, which is now producing the third “Star Wars” trilogy and spin-off movies following its acquisition of Lucasfilm back in 2012 for a whopping $4 billion buyout.
However, it has also been confirmed previously that Princess Leia shall have a major part in “Star Wars Episode 9” and that is where Disney now has a major dilemma.
Fisher had signed on to appear in three new “Star Wars “films. Following reports that Disney could receive a $50 million insurance payout for Fisher’s passing, there were reports saying that “Star Wars Episode 9” director Colin Trevorrow met with Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy earlier this month to discuss options, reports NME.
Acknowledging Fisher’s contribution to the franchise
Disney has already issued a statement, confirming that they will not be digitally recreating Princess Leia in “Star Wars Episode 9″ the same way that Universal Pictures did in 2015 for “Fast & Furious 7” with the passing of Paul Walker.
The statement said that Disney Pictures does not normally respond to fan or press speculation, but there is a rumor circulating that the company would like to address.
The company assured its fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher’s performance as Princess or General Leia Organa.
Disney went on to say that Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. They said that the actress was their princess, their general, and more importantly, their friend.
The company is still hurting from her loss and that they cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honor everything she gave to the “Star Wars” franchise, details Consequence of Sound.
It has not been confirmed whether Fisher’s character will be recast or if the movie scripts for “Star Wars Episode 9” will be rewritten.
A giant hole in the ‘Star Wars’ universe
There is no doubt that the death of Carrie Fisher three days after suffering from a heart attack left a giant hole in the “Star Wars” universe.
There were ensuing speculations that Disney might digitally recreate her character similar to what they did with Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
It would be interesting to know what Colin Trevorrow will have up on his sleeve with regards to General Leia but if she will not be digitally recreated, there is a big chance that her character will just be written off, the same way that Harrison Ford’s Han Solo character was killed off in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Incidentally, the “Bright Lights” documentary featuring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds which aired on January 7 on HBO was supposed to be a tribute more to the life of the “Singin’ in the Rain” actress.
But after the mother-and-daughter actresses died after Christmas one day apart from each other, it has become apparent that the documentary film was actually for them and some critics are saying that it became a fitting send off to both Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.
In fact, the official title of the documentary when it came out to HBO was “Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.”
According to filmmakers Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens, they began filming the mother and daughter duo in April 2014. From a mere documentary, it evolved into something different from what they have initially envisioned it to be.
In a recent interview, Alexis Bloom said that the documentary started with Carrie Fisher sort of wanting to pay tribute to the fact that her mother was still putting on the gold lame and walking onto the stage despite her age.
It can be recalled that Debbie Reynolds who shot to stardom with MGM’s “Singin’ in the Rain” in the 60s was still performing during the 80s.