While fans from around the world have gathered to share their love of Star Wars at this year’s Star Wars Celebration, there has been one sobering element to the festivities. The loss of Carrie Fisher has been felt at every level of the convention, from Thursday’s bittersweet memorial video put together by Lucasfilm to the sadness felt while Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson shared his behind-the-scenes footage from the set. And since this is a convention of all things Star Wars, fans have also speculated about the role the actress might play in the next film. Is there a place for Fisher in Star Wars: Episode 9?
Though it felt kind of wrong, when Carrie Fisher died in December a lot of us wondered how the Star Wars movies would weather her loss. Had she finished shooting all her scenes? (She had, at least for Episode 8.) How integral to the plot of Episodes 8 and 9 was Leia going to be? Would the story need to be changed to accommodate for her absence? Some wondered if her likeness would be Tarkin’d onto a body stand-in for the final movie, which felt wrong even to think about. (It’s not happening, thankfully.) Lucasfilm has a lot to consider after losing one of its biggest stars, but it sounds like none of The Last Jedi is going to be changed because of her death.
Yesterday saw HBO announcing a tribute to the late Carrie Fisher via encore presentation of her adapted Wishful Drinking, and the network will waste little time paying tribute to her mother Debbie Reynolds as well. The official release of upcoming mother-daughter documentary Bright Lights has now been scheduled for early January as well.
Unbeatable entertainer Debbie Reynolds, star of Singin’ in the Rain and mother to Carrie Fisher, has died at the age of 84 after suffering a stroke earlier on Wednesday.