Over the last few days, following the death of Carrie Fisher, there have been a lot of news articles circulating about the fate of her Princes Leia character in upcoming Star Wars films, speculating that Lucasfilm may use the technology utilized in Rogue One to recreate her image.
On Friday, it was confirmed by Lucasfilm and Disney that they will not recreate her image.
The scenes with Fisher for the Star Wars Episode VIII, directed by Rian Johnson (Looper), have already been filmed, but this decision will have effect the final episode of the trilogy: Star Wars Episode IX, to be directed by Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World).
Star Wars.com released this statement on Friday:
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.
Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend. We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honor everything she gave to Star Wars.
Star Wars Episode VIII is set to be released December 15, 2017, and Star Wars Episode IX is set to be released in 2019.