Lucasfilm Meeting to Discuss Carrie Fisher’s Role in Future Star Wars Films
By Buckie Wells
Following the death of Carrie Fisher, the Star Wars team will meet to discuss the fate of the princess turned general and all-around iconic Leia Organa.
While it was difficult, I went back and watched The Force Awakens after Carrie Fisher sadly passed away. First, it bothered me that she had such a small role in the film and didn’t appear until three-quarters of the way in. And once I remembered the open-ended send off between General Leia Organa and Daisy Ridley’s Rey, I felt devastated. In the time that Rey was scavenging on Jakku, Kylo Ren was turning to the Dark Side, and Luke was wallowing in self-pity (as he tends to do), Leia was holding up the Resistance. She helped reorganize the Republic and found people like Poe Dameron. Leading by example, she demonstrated bravery and stood up for what’s right even at her most weary.
There’s so much ground left to cover. Of course, we assumed that Carrie Fisher’s role in the next film will be much larger. Unfortunately, future Star Wars films will likely undergo rewrites now to give us answers and resolution. So far, we know two “pivotal” scenes include General Organa — her reunion with Luke and her confrontation with her son, Kylo Ren. But more importantly, we want to see how Lucasfilm handles Carrie Fisher’s death.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow flies to Los Angeles next week to discuss the changes moving forward. Although Carrie Fisher completed filming for Episode VIII, her death warrants several adjustments. Two options moving forward include CGI and writing the character out sooner rather than later. However, it’s clear that as people continue to mourn Carrie Fisher’s death, Leia’s departure deserves to be handled delicately.
For an example of a Star Wars death handled appropriately, look no further than the death of Padmé Amidala. An entire planet mourned for her whereas the films somewhat glossed over Han Solo (or even Obi-Wan’s) death.
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For the record: You can’t gloss over Princess Leia. Or Carrie Fisher. And we expect Lucasfilm and Episodes VIII-IX to understand this.
Time is of the essence as the clock continues to tick on Episode VIII, which opens in theaters on Dec. 15.