Oscar Isaac promises that Star Wars: Episode IX will honor the late Carrie Fisher in a "beautiful way."
Beloved for her role in the franchise as Leia Organa, Fisher passed away in December 2016 after completing work on Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Lucasfilm intends to use unseen footage of Fisher from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi to complete General Organa's arc in director J.J. Abrams' upcoming sequel.
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Speaking with the Daily Beast, Isaac, who plays Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, said Episode IX will honor Leia and Fisher’s sense of fun.
“The story deals with that quite a bit,” he said. “It’s a strange thing to be on the set and to be speaking of Leia and having Carrie not be around. There’s definitely some pain in that.” Comparing the experience on set to the first two installments, he said, “there’s a looseness and an energy to the way that we’re shooting this that feels very different.”
"Fisher’s absence is felt keenly on set," Isaac said, adding that Episode IX "deals with the amazing character that Carrie created in a really beautiful way.”
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Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: Episode IX stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Matt Smith, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film is scheduled to open on Dec. 20, 2019.