Carrie Fisher's brother Todd has reassured Star Wars fans that the inclusion of previously unused General Leia Organa footage won't look out of place in the upcoming Episode IX.
The iconic actress died in December 2016 before they had begun filming on the latest Star Wars trilogy, prompting a rethink and a rewrite before it was ultimately confirmed that Leia would appear in the final Skywalker saga film through the use of unused footage.
"We desperately loved Carrie Fisher," director JJ Abrams said in a statement in July. "Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character.
"With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honour Carrie's legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII."
And now Carrie's brother Todd has shared that, based on Abrams' plans and the footage available, he's "thrilled" by what the film has done.
"There’s a lot of minutes of footage. I don’t mean just outtakes," Todd told ABC News.
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"This is unused, new content that could be woven into the storyline. That’s what’s going to give everybody such a great kick. It’s going to look like it was meant to be. Like it was shot yesterday.
"We’re not allowed to talk about the details of anything. But we’re thrilled at what’s been done."
Todd also promised that there is more still to come from Carrie beyond the next Star Wars film, adding: "We have a lot of her artefacts, and a lot of things of hers that she’s written that will someday be shared.
"There’s a lot more to come from Carrie," he said.
Carrie's daughter Billie Lourd recently paid tribute to her late mum on the second anniversary of her death by sharing a video of her performing one of Carrie's favourite songs on the piano.
Meanwhile, John Boyega recently appeared to confirm that Episode IX will feature a time jump, following on from his previous hints that Finn will be growing his hair out.
The film will see the return of stars Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Anthony Daniels (C-3P0), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux) and Kelly Marie Tran (Rose).
Star Wars Episode IX will be released on December 20, 2019.
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Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
