The upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will end the expansive saga that began in 1977 with A New Hope. It will conclude the story of Luke, Han and of course, Leia, played by the late Carrie Fisher, who became an icon for her portrayal of the character.
In a recent essay for Time Magazine, Fisher's daughter, actress Billie Lourd, revealed what it was like growing up with a famous mother and how it shaped her attachment to Star Wars. She also described Fisher's enduring enthusiasm for the franchise and for Leia over the decades, "No one could have played her like my mother. Princess Leia is Carrie Fisher. Carrie Fisher is Princess Leia. The two go hand in hand."
Lourd, who plays Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix in the current trilogy, then discussed her mother's excitement for the upcoming film, The Rise of Skywalker. "We wrapped The Last Jedi a little less than six months before she died," Lourd wrote, "I went back to L.A. to film the show I was on, and she stayed in London to film the show she was on. One of the last times we spoke on the phone, she talked about how excited she was that the next movie in the trilogy was going to be Leia's movie. Her movie."
Fisher tragically passed away in 2016 before filming for The Rise of Skywalker was complete. Director J.J Abrams reportedly implemented unused footage from The Force Awakens and other films in order to complete Princess Leia's story and give both the character and Carrie Fisher a worthy sendoff.
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film arrives December 20.