Star Wars: Episode IX will begin filming on August 1, at Pinewood Studios in London. Director J.J. Abrams will return to close out the sequel series he began in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and is but one of several familiar faces returning to the sequel trilogy. In surprising news, Carrie Fisher — who died on December 27, 2016, after finishing her role as General Leia Organa in Star Wars: The Last Jedi — will also be making an appearance.
Via StarWars.com, the cast list for the untilted Episode IX includes:
- Daisy Ridley as Rey
- Adam Driver as Kylo Ren
- John Boyega as Finn
- Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron
- Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata
- Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux
- Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico
- Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
- Billie Lourd (daughter of Carrie Fisher) as Resistance Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix
- Billy Dee Williams reprises his role as the legendary Lando Calrissian
- Mark Hamill will return as Luke Skywalker, in a role one can only assume will be a Force Ghost
- Carrie Fisher as General Organa
There are newcomers to the cast as well: Naomi Ackie (Doctor Who, Lady Macbeth), Richard E. Grant (Doctor Who, Game of Thrones), and Keri Russell (The Americans) all have landed unspecified roles.
Speaking on the matter of Fisher being in Episode IX, Abrams said “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher. Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast or use a CG character,” he continued. “With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII.”
On one hand, I am very happy Disney/Lucasfilm is not recasting the character of Leia or using CGI for Carrie Fisher to be able to complete her arc in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but on the other hand, I am worried how Abrams will be able to cobble together enough unused footage from The Force Awakens to bring her story to a satisfying conclusion. Getting this right will be very important for fans of the Star Wars saga as a whole, but most importantly, for fans of Carrie Fisher.
Maybe Abrams and Rian Johnson (Episode VIII) can combine their resources and come up with enough cutting room floor material, because Leia simply wasn’t in either film enough to have a lot of extra footage lying around. Regardless, this official cast announcement for the film is exciting news, and it’s made all the better knowing our beloved Princess will be in one final Star Wars movie, receiving the proper sendoff she deserves.
Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters worldwide in December of 2019.
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