ST Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa) in Episode IX

Seriously I just don't know...

There is no doubt the whole trilogy has been set up for one moment, when mother comes face to face with son. Before TLJ people have said it could work with uncle coming face to face with nephew but that happened and all it did was enrage Kylo, it just doesn't hold as much weight having Luke confront his sister's son as it would his own child.

Having Meryl Streep play Leia with some cg enhancement to make her look more like Carrie could work but will it be accepted?

 

I love Meryl Streep, but there's no Leia without Carrie. Either use old footage with a bit of CGI or write her out of the story in a dignified way.

 

That Meryl Streep "rumor" isn't even a rumor. The only evidence of it in the original article is an online petition that's going to be payed as much attention to by Disney/Lucasfilm as the petitions to "Hire George Lucas to direct Episode IX" or "Remove The Last Jedi from canon."

If they were honestly planning to recast Leia, they wouldn't have scrapped the entire script for IX and started over from scratch.

 

This could be a Lucasfilm trial ballon to gauge the reaction and see if they could pull it off. As dubious an undertaking as it is, stepping into an iconic role that is so inseparable from Carrie herself, if anyone could do it, it would be Meryl Streep.
The trilogy has been building to a confrontation between mother and son. Leia is integral to the arc. I don't know how they simply rewrite that.

 

Definitely a massive no to Meryl Streep, or anyone, replacing Carrie in IX.

Repurpose deleted and behind the scenes footage if it makes sense, but really just write her out with dignity. If all they can do is mention her passing and then show her and Luke together as Force ghosts in the victory celebrations (they should have enough BTS footage to do that) then that's fine.

It sucks that the actual story of Leia's end will likely now be in a novel or comic, and that we won't get to see Leia bring her son back from the dark side in IX. But Carrie was Leia and Leia was Carrie. You can't just recast her.

 

I wish we could get an animated movie between 8-9 with the possible confrontation with her and Kylo.

 

Like they did with Bladerunner. Little stories that get us from 8 to 9.

Maybe Filoni could do a miniseries.
Maybe 3 Rebels-ish stories with Sequel characters

 

I wonder if Carrie had made her wishes known about how she would want Leia to be portrayed or not if she passed away. Carrie wanted Leia to be center stage for episode 9, so making that happen somehow would be fulfilling her wish for the character. Really no matter what Disney and Lucasfilm does there will be fans upset so they have that going for them, which is nice.

 

I’ll chime in because, well, I have no idea what I’m talking about but always seem like I do... excuse my babbling...

My first instinct about being respectful to Fisher by using old footage, enhanced, altered and cgi... I think she would be the first one to say. “Do it!!! ...just make me thin.” And then say “I’ve lived an animated life, why not continue it... hell, if could’ve been cgi ed years ago I would’ve done it, I highly recommend everyone do it, you get so much more done in life and can sleep and eat more.” I think her ego would be more concerned with Leia getting the plot arc she was excited for, and also asking I still get paid for this, right? I wonder if the contract she signed would still include her million dollar plus salary to her estate and family then. And if so, she would say definitely put me in the film!

Now if Meryl Streep really stepped in... how would that work? I mean we know how that would work practically (someone acting in a film). But how does that work with arguably the biggest female marquee star in the world? As one of Carrie’s best friends it’s beautiful and a lovely thing to do for one’s friend. But gets a little complicated. Let’s say she does it. First how many months would she have to commit to the project when most likely she has a full schedule... she has stated after doing Death Becomes Her she doesn’t really enjoy the technical complications that filming such a project entails. And if they were seeking her out it most likely is because the role of Leia was substantial enough to make it a semi long shoot (comparable to Last Jedi). I think it would give Streep pause and say she’s already paid tributes to Carrie. Next with Streep stepping in (still theoretically) she becomes the new kid on the block but immediately and out of the blue becomes the marquee star... it would be Star Wars starring Meryl Streep. Yeah, most likely SW starring X, x, x, x, x, and Meryl Streep. But still. I mean sure could be great, but production would certainly beef up, expand all the Leia scenes ...but again my instinct tells me they would think it’s too overpowering.

In the end, I feel they are us know Carrie is Leia, and the magic in seeing these new films is the warmth and fond memories we have seeing Ford, Hamill and Fisher reappear on screen. And like in Rogue One, the success for them in making the audience go, woah there is that person again... all is right in the world. So nothing really changes in my mind... if by some miracle Meryl steps in, Leia’s part is immediately the show piece, fine by me. But I still think the rewrites are because they had to reaches how they can use Leia after figuring out practically what footage they have that can be repurposed to tell the concluding Leia, Kylo arc... and they want it under wraps so it’s a satisfying surprise. Still putting all my chips in the They won’t kill off Leia and using a stand in and old footage in the final act camp.

 

Meryl could come out on top by doing this by playing her cards right:

- Have PR play up the 'shes doing it in memory of my friend' angle and to prove this:
- Donate a % of, or her entire salary, to a charity that Carrie supported
- Play Leia uncredited (not mentioned in credits at all)
- Have, written into her contract, no press or promotional interviews or committments. (Shed have interviews for the BluRay no doubt - but nothing on the promotional junkett or talk shows etc etc)

That way people cant use the narrative that SW9 is being painted as "star wars featuring meryl streep" so easily. She might be in it yes, but its understated and only to serve the story and carries memory.

I agree this is all very unlikely. But if Meryl DID play Leia, theres different ways to go about it. And it doesnt have to devolve into a "Its Star Wars featuring MERYL STREEP EVERYBODY" circus.

Personally I think its a beautiful thing, if a friend completed Carries portrayal of Leia for 9. If Carries friend (whoever it may be) felt Carrie wouldve wanted it, or given it her blessing, thats good enough for me to give it a chance, too.

 

The way Filoni has handled TCW and Rebels I would be in favour of him being given a project set within the CT era.

@Jamtia

If there were to be animated adventures set between IV,V,VI,VII, VIII and IX, and I wouldn't be against it. who would you cast to voice the big characters?

 

Easy..

1.Kylo accidentally kills mom early in movie. Images of Carrie used from prior. Minimal CGI adjustments.

2. Han Solo either still alive and comes in for the final confrontation with Kylo. I would argue Harrison would do it in respect for Carrie.

3. Many ways to bring him back as we never saw a body and Star Wars is filled with peeps who fell down a hole and lived.

 

They've already said that they're not replacing her and they're not doing CGI or anything.

As for Han, he was a 70+ year old non-Force User who got impaled through the chest by a lightsaber, fell down a bottomless hole, and the planet that he was on blew up and turned into a sun like ten minutes later. They wanted to make it SUPER clear that he was DEAD!!

 

No, they haven't.

 

No. Carrie is Leia. There is no need to replace the actress. If they want to get across a mother's love they could come up with a way to write in Natalie or Pernilla to portray that message after Leia's on screen death. If that is not an option then write around it and instead have Anakin confront Kylo. Grandad is his idol, but only part of his Grandad. The scene where he realises he truly is his grandfather's blood in all aspects could be really powerful. Perhaps finally picking up the Skywalker lightsaber and putting it back together.

I assume Rey will be involved in some way with his fate. I just really struggle to see how she fits the larger Skywalker narrative at this point if Reylo isn't happening.

 

That Merryl Streep thing is a total fiction. A deliberately awful idea to get people chattering

I think it is quite practical to write a story where Leia dies between movies and we start 9 with people reacting to that tragedy. It doesn't need any tricks.

 

Before seeing The Last Jedi I absolutely was against recasting Leia. After seeing The Last Jedi I don't care if they recast Leia. I'm sure Episode 9 will continue to destroy the legacy characters. Recast Leia and fulfill your destiny Kathleen Kennedy.

 

Well if it’s a series, I would have to think about it. If it’s one off shorts, I don’t see why the actors in real life couldn’t play them.

As for Leia, how about whoever did her voice in Rebels? Was she any good?

Mark Hamill is a voice actor and can see him doing Luke and look forward to that.

Han, there are plenty of imitators out there so I’m sure they can find someone, I just hope it isn’t the guy doing Solo. Not a fan of his voice.

Lando is for Billy Dee as long as he’s around. Same goes with Anthony Daniels with 3P0.

Poe, Finn and Rey, honestly tough to say. Their voices aren’t that irreplaceable and can be easily copied imo. But I would rather have them do the voice overs. But I guess it depends how busy their schedules are. Same goes with Adam Driver.

Whoever was in charge for TCW voice actors should be for this because they hired some great talent. I’m too tired to think of really any names that I would specifically want, but you get the idea.

 

Might work if they reveal she was hurt in an explosion and the injuries especially to her face resulted in her appearance change?

Mark Hamill suffered facial injuries prior to ESB didn't he?

 

I still don't know what they should with Leia in Episode 9...
Nimoy's Spock Prime got a peaceful off-screen death in Beyond and you could just assign Yelchin's Chekov to a different starship prior to the events of a possible sequel. But Leia? That's a lot harder. I can't decide at the moment.

 

The problem is that everyone would also know WHY Leia was recast. And since it's been the same actress playing her in all of the previous "numbered" films that she's appeared in, you risk it being really distracting.

Also you've already set the precedent by killing off Han in VII and Luke in VIII.

 

Obviously, I’m biased...but still objectively speaking I feel it would never make sense for the Leia character to die of the original three. Han always seems to be the embodiment of eventual realized sacrifice, Luke completing the arc of Force existentialism... but Leia represents the practical hard earned fight for justice. The one who keeps chugging along. That just seems to me their arc types.

 

I'm sure it would be distracting to a degree but what would be even more distracting is having a CGI Leia or re-using old footage of Carrie Fisher. That will take you right out of the movie. Everyone watching the movie will know it's not really Carrie and so they'll be busy focusing on how good the digital effects are when they should focusing on the story and the actor's performances. With another actress, I'm sure people and groan and complain and compare her to Carrie but at least in that case the judgement of the fans will be directed where it should be, on the performance of the actor and the character of Leia herself. It also creatively frees up JJ to now do what he wants with the character because the character lives on.

I'm not a fan of killing her offscreen either (a.k.a mentioning her death in the opening crawl), I feel like that would be a cop out. Unfortunately, there are no good ideas with this situation. But in my opinion, to paraphrase the movie Argo, recasting Leia is the best bad idea we have.

 

I think kids aren’t going to notice or care, just move on to BB8 and Rey, and grown ups are more understanding and appreciative knowing this is all make believe and willing to go with it.

 

I was thinking about this the other day and I came up with this:

Episode IX is set 3 years after VIII. For the first part of the movie, we hear nothing about about Leia but we note that Poe is now General Dameron.

Midway through the film, Hux is captured by the Rebellion and interrogated by Poe. Hux turn this on him and reveals that the missing Leia is indeed the daughter of Vader and mother of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren.

Later on, the Rebellion becomes restless with information regarding Leia's whereabouts. Poe decides to seek out Maz for answers.

He finds Maz and she reveals to him that Leia has passed on. She became sick and didn't want her troops to see her like that. Poe is reminded that she will always be with him.

At the end of the film, we see Rey training a new generation of Jedi with Luke and Leia looking on.