As we reported to you a month or so ago, Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia had a "significantly important" role in Episode IX (HERE). The tragic death of the actress has brought upon a lot of questions, most of which involve how to replace her in the ongoing saga.
Lucasfilm were in the middle of heated meetings to settle the delicate problem at hand. All signs were leading to Fisher getting digitized, but now it seems like the SW creative team pretty much had to start from scratch in regards to "Episode IX," due for release in 2019.
Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy told Entertainment Weekly that the impact of Fisher's passing will be significant “Obviously with Carrie having passed away, it shook everybody,” Kennedy told EW “We pretty much started over.”
Now Episode IX director Collin Trevorrow tells CinemaBlend that the options are limited in how to solve Fisher's absence:
“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. I feel like our options are limited mostly by ourselves, in that there is 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.”
Episode VIII is due for release on December 15, 2018. Episode IX due for release on June 21, 2019.