The Walt Disney Company is reportedly in negotiations with the estate of the recently deceased actress Carrie Fisher over the continued appearance of Princess Leia in future "Star Wars" films. The story was first reported in an episode of BBC Newsnight.
Both LucasFilm and Disney are apparently interested in digitally recreating the late actress who passed away last month at the age of 60. Per Gizmodo, Disney is negotiating with the estate of the late actress over "her continued appearance in the franchise", even if some might view it as "unseemly haste." If Carrie's estate gives Disney the go-ahead to use her digitized likeness, then she will join the late Peter Cushing who played a key role in "Rogue One", more than 15 years after his death.
#mce_temp_url#The Guardian stressed out that with Fisher's death, Disney is left with the delimma to either write out Pricess Leia's character or digitally bring her back to life. Apparently, there is no clear decision yet from the giant company.
But before any conclusions can be made, it is worth mentioning that the report from Newsnight was not specific beyond the fact that the two parties are still negotiating with one another. This means Lucasfilm, which is owned by Disney, could be negotiating to have Fisher appear in "Episode IX", just like how Peter Cushing appeared in "Rogue One." But at the same time, it could also be something as simple as getting permission from Carrie's estate so they can continue to use her likeliness on their merchandise.
Another interesting point suggested by Newsnight is how an onscreen, posthumous film appearance could be in the works for Fisher. This will not be necessary for "Episode VIII" as Carrie had already finished filming her scenes for the movie prior to her death, although this could still be a possibility. However, nothing is certain for the time being, so it really is impossible to say with any certainty how Fisher's likeness will be used in the succeeding films.
It is also worth pointing out that Lucasfilm executives and filmmakers had scheduled a meeting to discuss how the actress' unexpected passing would affect the Princess Leia character in future installments of the film, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter. It is still unknown if the meetings have already taken place. Whatever decision is made, fans of both the "Star Wars" franchise and Carrie herself would want nothing more than to give Princess Leia a proper send-off.
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