MARK HAMILL doesn’t think re-casting late Carrie Fisher in Star Wars: Episode IX is
a good idea. The actress who passed away on December 27, 2016, after
going into cardiac arrest at the age of 60 has left a prominent role in
question for both fans and the makers. In an interview with Collider,
Hamill, who portrays Carrie Fisher’s on-screen sibling Luke Skywalker
in the Star Wars franchise, said that Fisher as Princess Leia is
irreplaceable.
”First of all, I don’t know what the specific plans were for that character but just the way Han Solo was more prominent in [Episode] VII,
Luke more prominent in VIII, we assumed Leia would be more prominent in
IX, especially since the dynamic of having Kylo Ren as her son,” Hamill said. “I think it would be tough recasting Carrie because she is so indelibly linked to that character.” SAYS MARK HAMILL
NOTABLY, the Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson has already
confirmed that the makers don’t want to alter Fisher’s final
performance, ultimately positioning her for a return in Episode IX. But
the fact that Lucasfilm won’t attempt to digitally recreate the actress
in any way, has left fans questioning about the character’s future.
“They’ve already ruled out of a computer-generated performance like they
did with Peter Cushing [in Rogue One] so, gee, that’s gotta be a real,
not insurmountable problem, but I know that the script had been in
development so that when we lost her they had to go back to square one,”
Hamill added. “But she is irreplaceable, you know, as far as I’m
concerned.”
RECENTLY, some Star Wars fans came up with an online petition pleading the filmmakers to cast Meryl Streep to play the role of Leia in Star Wars: Episode IX But there is one person in particular who is not for the change: Mark Hamill.
HAMILL has posted about his devastation over losing his space sister
on countless occasions. He also said in a previous interview he is not
able to watch Luke and Leia's scene in Last Jedi. Kathleen Kennedy of Lucasfilm has gone on record saying Last Jedi would be Fisher's Star Wars film, meaning no CGI or repurposed material in following installments.
NOW, everything stands in the hands of co-writers J.J. Abrams and Chris
Terrio. It will be interesting to find out how they handle Leia’s
character in Episode IX when the film lands in theaters on December 20,
2019
