Carrie Fisher May Appear In 'Star Wars: Episode 9'

Good news for fans of Princes Leia: The late Carrie Fisher will reportedly appear in Star Wars: Episode IX, according to the New York Daily News. Before her heartbreaking passing, the legendary actor had already filmed her role in the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but it remained unknown whether Fisher would be included in Episode IX, which is scheduled for a 2019 release. There were rumors that she might be digitally recreated using computer-generated imagery, much like how her character Princess Leia was recreated for a brief appearance in Rogue One. (And major spoiler apologies if you're reading this and didn't know that Leia made a surprise appearance at the end of Rogue One.) Anyway, Lucasfilm shut down those rumors down back in January. The company said in a statement,

We don’t normally respond to fan or press speculation, but there is a rumor circulating that we would like to address. We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher’s performance as Princess or General Leia Organa.

However, that doesn't mean she won't be in the movie at all. While at the opening night gala of the TCM Film Festival in Los Angeles, Fisher's brother, Todd Fisher, revealed to the Daily News that he and his niece, Billie Lourd, gave Lucasfilm permission to use recent footage of Fisher in Episode IX.

Todd explained to the Daily News,

"Both of us were like, ‘Yes, how do you take her out of it?’ And the answer is you don't. She’s as much a part of it as anything and I think her presence now is even more powerful than it was, like Obi Wan — when the saber cuts him down he becomes more powerful. I feel like that's what's happened with Carrie. I think the legacy should continue."

When asked exactly what role General Leia would have in Episode IX, Todd unfortunately didn't have any additional information to offer. "I’m not the only part in that equation, but I think the people deserve to have her," he said. "She's owned by them." Bustle reached out to Lucasfilm for comment, but has not received a response at the time of publication.

As an avid Star Wars fan — my husband and I are currently in the early stages of planning Star Wars themed costumes to wear to Disney's D23 Expo this summer — I'm excited to hear that General Leia might have a non-CGI role in Episode IX.

Oh, and I'm saying "might" because Lucasfilm has not yet confirmed or denied Todd's claim. And given how secretive the company is about Star Wars spoilers, we may not know exactly how General Leia is featured in Episode IX until the film hits theaters in May 2019.