Star Wars Episode 9 director Colin Trevorrow has opened up about how he has approached his movie without General Leia Organa.
Last month, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy revealed that Carrie Fisher's iconic character was meant to be the central hero of Episode 9, but her tragic death in December led to Trevorrow having to change that promise.
"She was a major character, that's not a secret. She really was. And it was extremely sad for all of us, mostly just because she was so loved by the Star Wars family and everyone that worked with her," he told Cinema Blend.
"I feel like our options are limited mostly by ourselves, in that there are only certain things that we are willing to do. But I can guarantee it will be handled with love and respect, and all of the soul that Carrie Fisher deserves."
Trevorrow added that it was hard to "identify a percentage" of the Episode 9 script that needed to be altered following Fisher's death.
Kennedy had already confirmed that any unused or digitally-created footage of Fisher would not be used in Episode 9, denying earlier comments from the actress's brother that she would be in the movie.
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"We had not written the script yet, but we've regrouped and started over again in January. Sadly, Carrie will not be in 9. We'll see a lot of her in 8, which is great," she explained.
The younger Leia was already digitally recreated for a key scene in last year's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Star Wars Episode 9 is expected to start shooting from January 2018 when we'll have discovered how The Last Jedi continues General Leia's story.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrives in cinemas on December 15.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
