Re-casting Leia to honor the character...

I personally wouldn't have anything against it. Many actresses could bring Leia back successfully. I know that Carrie made the character iconic, but the story of this trilogy is larger than Leia. A sensitive performance by a talented actress would suffice. However, it really all depends on how much Leia is needed for the development of Kylo and Rey, the main characters of this trilogy. This is all in JJ's and Terio's hands now. I'm sure they will come up with a satisfactory solution.

 

I don't agree. Too jarring to see anyone else playing her at the last second. She's too beloved a character to do that too, especially so late in the series. Opening crawl and a 5 year gap is the best way to deal with it. (IMO anyway)

 

I mean I can deal with two people playing doombledoor in the Harry Potter universe but not someone replaying Leia in Star Wars... Carrie has been the essence of that character on and off screen. If those two weren’t two sides of the same coin then I think it would be ok but in this case no...so as much as I want her story to end in a bang I think sadly life throws some major speed bumps and tricky situations

I do no envy JJs postion on dealing with this and hoping the fans will feel served

 

Fisher's untimely death probably doomed Colin Trevorrow. My guess is Lucasfilm said she wouldn't be recast and he had to rework the story. Not having Leia in IX had to have completely changed the story. There's no doubt that there would have been some kind of ultimate showdown between her and her son. It would have been a fitting end to this entire saga. The fact that the story started being reworked after her death and then CT was dismissed tells me that Lucasfilm isn't budging on this topic. The story likely starts after she passes away.

 

Being the first word of the opening crawl in the next SW movie could be the best tribute possible.


STAR WARS

Episode IX

-Title- (of your choice)

"Leia's death made skake the resurge of the New Resistence...
Leadered by Poe Dameron and the reminiscent factions through the galaxy (in attempt to recover Wexley & Co. forgotten in E8)
they blah blah blah...
While new Jedi are training in secret blah blah blah..."


Like TFA with Luke's word, we could enter in the movie just with Leia's name.

 

I think a recast Leia, at least in episode 9, would be a terrible idea. After all, it's star wars, iconic characters and actors, it's not like the fresh Prince of bel air when they changed the mom and nobody cared . I would've loved to see the original plans for the movie, but not like that. However, if an eventual anthology film covers pre episode 4 Leia, eleven from stranger things has a similarity to young Carrie Fisher that I noticed only to discover the internet had already beat me to it.

 

The big difference here is that Dumbledore was a character from a book saga and the series of movies based on the books were just starting when Richard Harris passed away. Star Wars as a saga started from that indie movie renamed A New Hope where the first time we met the character of Leia was played by Carrie.

I would love if they bring to live-action the book Leia Princess of Alderaan with Millie Bobbie Brown as Princess Leia and bring back Jimmi Smits as Bail. This book is a must read for all Leia fans and even when this young actress looks more like Natalie Portman than young Carrie Fisher it makes sense (read the book and you'll find out why).

 

It's a slippery slope. I can say I'd be fine with it and half believe myself but the fact of the matter is, we really don't know anything. My tone can completely change for better or worse once we find out who would be playing the role... IF that's what they went with.

For the sake of the film though, Leia should have an off-screen death. She had her moment with Han, and thank god she got her moment with Luke in TLJ. The only thing that's left for the character is a reunion with her son but let's be honest, a Carrie Fisher-less Leia reuniting with Ben Solo/Kylo Ren is just gonna feel so empty and hollow.

Now the debate over whether she should die prior to the events of the film or during the film but off-screen is another discussion entirely. But it deserves to be more than a passing mention in a scroll or by one of the characters. Her death should be central and key to the film, I'd even argue more than Luke and Han's... simply because the on-screen death of a Carrie Fisher acted Leia is a literal impossibility but she still deserves to have that "lead role" in the film just like Han had with TFA and Luke had with TLJ.

 

If they recast the role for just a few scenes with an actress of a certain status (say, Meryl Streep) then I reckon the optics would be good for Disney, and it feels like they're honouring the character and giving her clothes.

Alternatively they could use CGI. We know from press last year that Carrie's family are fine with this. Again, only in limited moderation.

I don't mind either. What I don't want is her to die between films, which is what I feel they'll do.

 

I'm realizing I see this differently from many people. For me this trilogy is the story of the new, younger characters. The older characters from the OT are just in the ST to support the story of our new heroes, that's all. It has been a privilege for us all to have the original actors revisiting those parts they made so special, but it wasn't really necessary. Other actors could have played Han, Luke and Leia and told the exact same story. Performance and acting are important, but nothing is more important than the creative process behind a film like this, at least for me.

 

I simply can't see anyone else portraying Leia, and I think it's safe to say the majority of the fans don't want her to be portrayed by anyone else. In my opinion, their best option is to open the film with Leia's funeral. It makes sense, gives fans some real closure, would be a good way to bring some of her allies back to the fight (e.g. Lando and the Resistance contacts they're trying to reach on Crait in The Last Jedi), and it would be a huge emotional motivator for Kylo Ren, I think.

The Last Jedi strongly hinted that he had a soft spot for his mother. He spared her life during the space battle after they have their Force connection, and whenever his resentment toward his parents is brought up, it's directed at Han, not Leia. He and Leia were most definitely intended to have some sort of showdown in the next film and I'm beyond disappointed that we won't get that now, but I still think her death could be extremely impactful in terms of how the character of Kylo Ren progresses.

Not to mention, I think they have enough footage that they can include her briefly as a Force ghost at the very end of the film if they want to. They wouldn't need to include any dialogue, but with a little bit of editing, I think they could easily show her and Luke reunited again in the afterlife (it would be great if Han was there, too, even if he wasn't a Jedi, just because we could finally get the reunion of the big three).

I just don't think recasting her or simply saying she died in the opening crawl is the best or most respectful way to handle her death. Leia and Carrie Fisher meant too much to people for them to recast her in the final film of the Sequel Trilogy.

 

I don't think that is safe to say at all. You are speaking for an awful lot of people. Many of us are on the fence. Many of us would really like to see Leia's story properly end, or continue if that is how it is to be. With all due respect to Carrie who can never be replaced in our hearts, the character shouldn't have to disappear because Carrie passed.

As someone else mentioned above, I feel for JJ. His name is going to be all over how Leia is handled for better or worse.

 

They'll fashion a proper narrative ending to her character in other media, but not in the next movie. Treverrow wanted CGI Leia or a recast and refused to change his story: impossible to work with.......[ahhhh and I said it]

 

I agree with Treverrow, I would have recast the character

 

As sad as it would be, I would be ok with this depending on the story.

 

I think if the people who knew and worked with Carrie don't want to recast the role (a role she is not only synonymous with, but has been the face of for the past 40 years) then, well, I think we should trust them.

 

I've tossed some ideas like this around before, but I think that this is how Leia should be handled: on a ship, going from system to system to rally the galaxy to fight the First Order.

Here's why I like this idea:

- It prevents her character from having to have to be killed off, a potentially awkward or upsetting moment for those who loved Carrie.

- It fits (and completes) her character. Having Leia go from system to system rallying a resistance is much in line with who she has always been. Plus, bonus points if she does so in a Corellian Corvette, sending her off like we first saw her in 1977 (or later for my fellow young people).

- It doesn't require the extinction of the OT heroes. Honestly, it'd feel weird if every single ST movie was marked by a major OT death of the Big Three. At this point, a lack of death would actually be a subversion.

- It allows Leia one more opportunity to change the galaxy- Imagine if one of the final shots is of Leia at the bridge of her corvette (filmed from behind) looking out at some new brand discovery (such as the Chiss Ascendancy).



Basically, killing her off is the easy move, but I'd argue that it's not the best. While Carrie is sadly dead, and I do not want her to be recast or CGI, the character could be subtlety filmed in ways that still allow her inclusion in the plot, even with minimal screentime.

 

I don't think she should be replaced. It may honor Lea the character, but I think it would be disrespectful to Carrie. She is Lea and is irreplaceable in my opinion. I think she will be mentioned in the crawl. I could say some tragedy has struck and she has died, or she it out in the galaxy taking care of business.