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 Writer and director J.J. Abrams said he had enough unused
footage of Fisher from the filming of 2015 movie "The Force
Awakens" to make Leia a key player in "The Rise of Skywalker,"
the "Star Wars" film that debuts in theaters on Dec. 20.
Fisher died in 2016 at age 60.
"We couldn't tell the story without Leia," Abrams said in an
interview on Wednesday. "She's the mother of the villain of the
piece. She's in a sense the mother of the resistance, the
rebellion, the leader, the general."
"Her role is, I would say, integral," he added. "This is not
just a cosmetic thing where we're sort of inserting Leia."
"The Rise of Skywalker" is the ninth movie in the celebrated
space franchise that debuted in 1977 and is now owned by Walt
Disney Co.
In recent films, Leia had risen to general leading the fight
against the evil First Order in the galaxy far, far away. Her
son is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the warrior who took over as
ruler of the First Order at the end of 2017 film "The Last
Jedi."
If Fisher had been alive, "there is no question we would have
done, I'm sure, additional and other things," Abrams said. "But
the fact we had the material to do what we did is incredibly
gratifying."
Daisy Ridley, who portrays resistance fighter Rey, recorded
scenes for "Rise of Skywalker" in which her character interacted
with the previously recorded images of Fisher.
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"I was basically reacting to footage I had seen of her, so it was
quite emotional, very strange," Ridley said. "But I do think you
feel a real sense of love between Leia and Rey in this one, and Leia
is a big part of the story."
Pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and maintenance worker Rose Tico
(Kelly Marie Tran) also have scenes that include dialogue with Leia,
cast members said.
Abrams said Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, who will appear for the
third time as a lieutenant in the resistance forces, also will be
seen on screen with her mother.
Anthony Daniels, who plays the droid C-3PO, said the scenes with
Fisher looked "totally believable, quite wonderful, quite
respectful" in the final cut of the film, which was shown to some
cast members this week.
Isaac said he felt "a real melancholy" when he watched Fisher on
screen in "Rise of Skywalker."
"You see her right there, and she's so vital and alive, and to think
she's not there anymore, and she won't get to see how we say goodbye
to Princess Leia," he said. "It's bittersweet."
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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