For more than 40 years, the late, great Carrie Fisher was championed as a cornerstone of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars universe, and her tragic death left the franchise’s impassioned community in a state of mourning.
Tributes poured out from across the industry, and with The Last Jedi inching ever closer to its December release date, fans are curious to see General Leia Organa on screen for the final time. Indeed, Fisher’s series mainstay is said to hold a fairly substantial role in Rian Johnson’s forthcoming sequel, though contrary to online rumors – rumors which claimed Disney had drawn up plans to digitally recreate the late actress for Star Wars: Episode IX – the Mouse House has since made it crystal clear that it has no plans to bring back Princess/General Organa through the power of visual effects.
Rather, The Last Jedi will write her character out of the Skywalker saga altogether, which ought to allay those fears that Rian Johnson was about to kill off the Star Wars icon – for many, the death of Han Solo still leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Couple this with the promise of a poignant after-credits tribute to the Carrie Fisher and it’s clear that Episode VIII will deliver a fitting send-off to the original rebel. And that’s something John Boyega (Finn) touched on while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter.
First spotted by ComicBook.com, Boyega appeared on THR’s podcast to plug his role in Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar hopeful, Detroit, though it didn’t take long before the conversation swung in the direction of Star Wars and The Last Jedi‘s “really cool” send-off for Fisher.
I think the send-off is really cool. Even before she passed away, I’d see her in scenes and be like, ‘This is really cool for both Carrie and Mark [Hamill],’ who are the last two original leads [alive in the franchise].
I felt like they deserve more and more — they’ve been doing this for a while and have been the beating heart of something special, and I just feel like [The Last Jedi] pays homage to them in general. But unfortunately, now that she’s passed, it does have a deeper meaning. I think the fans are going to appreciate that.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15th and is the current cover star of Entertainment Weekly.
