ONE LAST TIME

Carrie Fisher Will Return to the Screen in ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’

The final installment of the Skywalker saga includes previously unreleased footage of Fisher.

The cast of Star Wars: Episode IX was announced on Friday, with late actress Carrie Fisher returning to the screen as Leia Organa thanks to “previously unreleased footage” shot before her death. “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher,” director J.J. Abrams wrote in a release. “Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII.” New cast members include Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant, who will be joining veteran stars Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams. Returning cast members include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd. The final installment of the Skywalker saga is set to be released in December 2019.