Star Wars: No plans to digitise Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in future films, Lucasfilm says

Updated

The makers of Star Wars have put a quick end to rumours that, while Carrie Fisher has died, her Princess Leia may live on.

Key points: Lucasfilm says there are no plans to digitally recreate Fisher to appear in future Star Wars episodes

Fisher had been slated to appear in Episode IX, scheduled for release in 2019

Lucasfilm insists Episode VIII is Fisher's last

Making a rare foray into the sprawling world of Star Wars speculation, Lucasfilm said there were no plans to digitally recreate Fisher to appear in future episodes of the movie saga.

"There is a rumour circulating that we would like to address," a company statement said.

"We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher's performance as Princess or General Leia Organa."

Fisher, who reprised her role as Leia in 2015's Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, had finished shooting Star Wars: Episode VIII, due out next December, when she died on December 27 of cardiac arrest at age 60.

Her mother Debbie Reynolds died the next day.

But Fisher had also been slated to appear in Episode IX, scheduled for release in 2019.

That film is still being scripted, and the writers are deciding how to handle her death.

Warning: There are spoilers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story from here on!

Adding to the speculation was the brief appearance of a digitised 1977-era Fisher in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was released last month.

That film also had a much larger role for a digitised version of the late Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin.

The renderings of Fisher and Cushing, who died in 1994, were embraced by many fans — but hated by just as many, who thought the characters looked cartoonish, distracting, or even spooky.

John Knoll, the effects guru who came up with the idea of the revitalised characters, told Yahoo Movies that Fisher "loved" her appearance in Rogue One, which consists of one short-but-significant shot, and a single word of dialogue.

"She was very much in favour of it," Mr Knoll said.

But Lucasfilm insisted Episode VIII would be Fisher's last.

"Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family," the company's statement said.

"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 honour everything she gave to Star Wars."

AP

Topics: film-movies, arts-and-entertainment, science-fiction-films, actor, death, united-states

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