Though Carrie Fisher passed away back in December of 2016, Lucasfilm has announced plans to include Leia Organa in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX by way of unused footage from the production of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. And while we’ve yet to witness any scenes from J.J. Abrams’ upcoming trilogy-closer, Oscar Isaac has offered his assurance that the late actress’s presence can be felt in the movie.
The Poe Dameron actor recently appeared on Today, where he reflected on Fisher’s passing and her continued significance in the space saga:
“We’ve thought about her so much. Her spirit is there [in the film].”
Isaac then went on to observe that Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd will be reprising her role as Lieutenant Connix, before stressing once more that Fisher’s spirit could still be felt on the set:
“Billie Lourd, her daughter, came and played a part, a part that she played in the last film as well, last couple of films. Her spirit was definitely there with us and we’re missing her.”
Though the details of Fisher’s screen time remain under wraps, Isaac has previously gone on record saying that Episode IX deals with her absence “in a really beautiful way.” Mark Hamill, meanwhile, remarked earlier this month in an interview with Den of Geek that he was glad Lucasfilm found a way of including the actress in the Sequel Trilogy’s final installment. The star added that he thinks Fisher would get “a real kick out of the fact that she had a hit movie years after she left us.”
Speaking of Hamill, Isaac mentioned in the same Today interview that Star Wars: Episode IX will be “the end of the entire Skywalker saga,” and that the Lucasfilm team has found an “incredibly fulfilling” end to the story. As it stands, the only official Skywalker confirmed for the movie is Luke, who’s expected to only show up in flashbacks or as a Force Ghost, but we’ll find out if Abrams is still holding out a twist or two on us when the film hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.
