‘Star Wars: Episode 9’ Will Also Utilize Unused ‘Last Jedi’ Footage Of Carrie Fisher
When theStar Wars: Episode 9cast was announced, the line-up included a big surprise:Carrie Fisher. Fisher died before the release ofThe Last Jedi, and many assumed her character, Leia Organa, wouldn’t be featured in the next film. According to theEpisode 9cast announcement, directorJ.J. Abramsplans to utilize unusedForce Awakensfootage of Fisher. Now, Fisher’s brother is claiming the film will also employ additional, unusedLast Jedifootage as well.
In case you somehow missed it, here’s theofficial wordfrom LucasFilm regarding the unused Carrie Fisher footage:
The role of Leia Organa will once again be played by Carrie Fisher, using previously unreleased footage shot forStar Wars: The Force Awakens. “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher,” says Abrams. “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 honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII.”
As you may see above, onlyThe Force Awakensis mentioned. ButAwakensmight not be the only film utilized when it comes toEpisode 9. During an episode ofStar Wars News Net’sThe Resistance Broadcast, ABC News' Clayton Sandell revealed that he had spoken recently with Fisher’s brother,Todd Fisher, about all of this. Per Sandell, Fisher confirmed that Abrams and company would be using unusedLast Jedifootage as well:
“I talked to Todd Fisher today about all of this and he has been talking with J. J. Abrams about it. I asked him, because the press release only said The Force Awakens so I asked about The Last Jedi, and they are also using unused footage from The Last Jedi. I asked him how many minutes of footage they had from it and he said ‘I can’t tell you that!'”
It’s worth noting that this isn’t 100% confirmed. While Star Wars News Net has a good track record on this sort of thing, the source isn’t someone directly associated with the production – it’s Fisher’s brother. There’s always a chance Mr. Fisher might be misspeaking, but there’s also a chance he’s right as well.
Mr. Fisher actuallystatedin April 2017 thatEpisode 9would feature unused footage of his sister – a statement that LucasFilm immediately shot down as untrue. A year later, it turned out to be true after all, which makes this whole thing extra murky. Did Fisher know this for a fact in April 2017, or did he make a lucky guess that turned out to be (eventually) correct?
For now, let’s just assume this is accurate. If Abrams wants to use as much footage possible to insert Carrie Fisher intoEpisode 9, it makes sense that he would turn to more than one movie to get the deed done. Still, the question remains: just how much unused footage of Fisher is there? We know of ahandful of small scenes cut fromForce Awakens, and there’s bound to be a few more fromLast Jedi –the Blu-ray release contains a wealth of deleted scenes, but none feature Fisher prominently – but the total amount of footage remains a mystery. There’s always a chance Abrams could employ B-roll footage – footage shot behind the scenes, before the cameras are rolling – as well.
We’ll know the answer to all these questions, and more, whenStar Wars: Episode 9opens onDecember 20, 2019.
