ST Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa) in Episode IX

I think I was being fairly honest with everyone when I said that if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Carrie might only have a couple of scenes. Mark too.

It's my hope that they have bigger roles than what we're being led to believe so far. They probably don't and I probably am wrong, but I wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised.

 

I completely agree. They've been reusing the same Leia footage for all the trailer and photo releases so far and the fact that she's completely absent from all promotional material definitely tells me that they have a lot of Carrie footage which they're holding back on and possibly still working on the effects of. If she really did just have a small role, then they'd promote her like they did in TLJ or even the way Rose is being promoted in this film. They wouldn't feel the need to hide her then when they know how big a deal it is that this is her final film ever. Not to mention, we heard JJ himself say that Leia is the heart of this film.

I think after the film has been released for a while, and they can start marketing the most spoilery moments, we'll see her pop up more in trailers, toys, posters, etc. DVD and Blu-Ray packaging will likely feature her then for sure. I know it's hard to be patient at this point, especially with JP's claims that a lot of her footage has been removed from the film, but we just have to have hope.

 

So I was watching TROS trailer on my Smart TV last night (it sure looks brilliant on a 42” HD TV, lol) and YouTube in this mode had the captions enabled by default - finally know for sure what the various voiceovers were all about but the last ones really got me...

At the scene when Rey was looking at the camera, after Luke mentioned about “the Force will be with you”, I didn’t know that it was Leia who uttered the last word “always”... Very nice touch to honor the late Carrie Fisher, since TROS was supposed to focus on the Princess!

 

If IX opens with what leaks I’m reading how could they not use doubles and CGI as well as voice actors like in R1?

 

Supposedly the opening scene with young Luke and Leia has been either removed or moved elsewhere in the film.

 

or so it seems. Probably moved.
I can’t imagine it getting thrown out completely

 

Same. For the final film of the saga, a scene that fans have been waiting decades for to be removed just like that seems like a really unlikely choice. Especially since they appear to have put a lot of effort in the scene from the leaks and even got Carrie Fisher's family's blessing for it. Carrie's scenes were screened to her family and they absolutely loved the role she had so I can't see JJ just cutting half her screentime, especially her most pivotal scenes.

Let's not forget that RJ made sure not to delete a single scene of Leia in TLJ so it would feel really disrespectful and out of place to suddenly eliminate so much of Carrie's footage in her final film, the one that was touted as being "her film" and gives her top billing.

 

Exactly. It sounds like backpedaling. Rumors tossed out as the real deal to throw people off. But what do I know.

 

Especially since JP admitted that there is a lot of information he can't give out yet and he literally showed screenshots (which were posted a few pages back in the main leaks thread) which had most of the content redacted.

I think most of the confusion is over the fact that the scene was meant to open the film but it no longer is. This seems to have given the impression that it was entirely removed, even though it could have been moved around to another scene which the leakers were not privy to. After all, the leaks are hardly 100% and offer next to nothing about any of the supporting characters like Rose, Jannah, or any of the Resistance base characters.

All of Leia's scenes mentioned in the leaks are the ones featuring her with Rey or her death scene. Nothing about her scenes at the Resistance base actually leading or her interactions with other characters like Connix, Rose, or Poe. I can't imagine they would go without having her interact with 3PO or Chewie for that matter either. The flashback could have been moved to one of those scenes, which is why when Luke brings it up to Rey later on near the end of the film, it's just narration and no visuals because the visuals would already have been shown. However, all of Luke's scenes were reshot so the leakers must have assumed that since the flashback isn't included in his scene and he's narrating it, then the scene was cut out completely.

 

All this long lost Lando daughter business and no Kylo Ren backstory are things that are wrong or missing I believe, along with Rey is only Palaptine's granddaughter business is either wrong or misinterpreted. The Forest Moon of Endor business appears to be wrong as it's the ocean moon Kef Bir. And is that really a FO Captain's medallion? Among other things. Between the admitted redactions and the missing information and the possibility of misinterpreted or poorly decoded shot list (the leaked TFA one was encoded with proper names and nouns swapped out for code names and nouns) and late reshoots and changing variations of the ending in editing, there can and will be differences.

 

Precisely. Wasn't it even confirmed earlier that there would be some Kylo Ren backstory or at least some explanation as to why he turned? I do believe that the Rise of Kylo Ren comic series is meant to tie into something deeper, especially since I think Charles Soule mentioned that he was aware of some plot points in TROS about Kylo's backstory.

TROS has featured so many deleted concepts from TFA, many that JJ himself scrapped during production, which makes me wonder if those old flashbacks of young Ben and Luke will find their way into this film. I think they even went as far as casting an actor for young Ben although I'm not sure if those scenes were ever actually filmed. And I find it hard to believe that JJ and Kathleen wouldn't try and reunite the OT3 for the final film of the saga in a flashback like the one deleted from TFA, especially if Harrison really is back. That flashback could even be tied into the vision Kylo has of his father that redeems him.

JP also mentioned that Ewoks would be in the film, based on the Endor location. Technically, Kef Bir could feature Ewoks, but if that's not the case, that's another discrepancy. And I still believe that any Jannah reveal will be her as Finn's sister, rather than as Lando's daughter.

 

That Resistance Reborn novel has Leia saying to Rey that

Spoiler

she's [Rey's] going to have to ask Kylo why he fell to the dark side in the first place

, the answer to which is not addressed by that book AFAIK nor by Paxis's various summaries.

 

Meanwhile Charles Soule's interview about The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series says this.

https://www.cbr.com/the-rise-of-kylo-ren-new-details-fan-expo/
"However, he then explained that he didn't do that kind of storytelling all by himself: not only did he get a series of bullet points from the filmmakers of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker about where the character's story was going to be at the end of the saga, but his outline and dialogue had to be submitted to the Lucasfilm Story Group, who vet every detail of every story that takes place within the Star Wars Universe."

There's no direct confirmation that we'll get an explanation in TROS, not here anyway, but I'm sure we'll get something more substantial in the final film though.

 

I get why people are worried that Leia isn't in the movie much because they keep re-using the same forest hug scene with Rey for the trailers, but I think JJ is just keeping Leia's other scenes under wraps. He hasn't shown us Luke at all, so I think it's safe to say he's just playing Leia close to the vest as well.

If I had to bet today, I'd still bet that we see Leia 4 times in the movie + hear her speaking through the force another time as well, so about 5 scenes that Carrie is a part of in some way. I still think we may also get the Luke/Leia flashback training scene, so that would make 6 times we have Leia in the movie.

 

Here are some of her scenes that have been rumored or confirmed.

flashback training sequence with Luke
present-day training sequence with Rey
bidding goodbye to Rey and co. when they head off on their mission
multiple resistance base scenes (possible repurposed Warhammer scenes, interacting with Rose, Connix, etc.)
death scene
force ghost during final battle
force ghost during final scene
possible flashback reuniting the OT3 and dropping Ben off at Luke's

 

https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/enter...ise-of-skywalker-role-revealed-210514180.html

 

All Todd Fisher quotes (archive)

Todd Fisher, brother of Carrie Fisher: “They’ve arranged it — the script and what was shot — to bring [Carrie Fisher as Leia] into the story [of Star Wars: Episode IX] in a way as if they filmed it yesterday and isn’t that magical, that the things that she shot a few years ago are frozen in time, so to speak, and then they’ve been reborn into the final ‘Star Wars’ where she is truly the character that needed to continue? I mean, it’s not just me as the brother, I have a connection to this thing that’s different but I am also a fan of the story line, but it’s my sister. My sister and Princess Leia are the same thing and so the idea of that story stopping and her not carrying forward was very disturbing to me. I kept saying to people, ‘No, no, no…this needs to continue.’ I know I was a little annoying even to Disney because I kept saying, ‘Well, from the brother’s perspective we would want to see Carrie continue, of course,’ and the fans, I think, we could even use the word demand that this carry on. So it’s just awesome that it worked out this way and thanks to [writer/director] J.J. Abrams, it’s going to be very magical and important to us all.” (July 28, 2018)

Todd Fisher: “Well, as you know when you make a movie there’s things that end up on, as they say, the cutting room floor, there’s outtakes — there’s a lot of things that don’t make it into the movie and sometimes, in this case, it was even difficult for people to want to go back and look at every frame of footage to see what was usable or what could be used in this fashion and then to create a way to weave it into the script and the story in a way that is important and is good storytelling and so it is not an easy task.” “But it’s nice when you can put her put up on the screen and continue the story, continue the Saga – that’s important for all of us – not the most of which is me (laughs).” “[My sister’s daughter, actress Billie Lourd,] is really sensitive to the whole thing too… obviously we want to protect Carrie… and we are sensitive to how things are done and why they’re done. This is one that you have got to embrace with a big hug.” “There are things we [were told and] know that I can’t say. [..] No, we’re not allowed to talk much further than that. I can stay in the area we’re in but not into too many specifics. But yeah I was given some information about the things that were there but I can’t address it. Suffice it to say that you’ve seen what was in the – what was the name of the last film? Not the most recent one – but the one [before] The Last Jedi – The Force Awakens. So all of this footage obviously was shot around The Force Awakens so if you look at all the scenes that were in The Force Awakens you can kind of imagine some things that could be made available (grins). I think one of the all time greatest scenes – well one of my favorite things Carrie’s ever done – is the last movie and when she says, ‘May the Force be with you,’ I mean it’s (heartstrings hand gestures) like, you know, so those words – you are hanging on them. So there’s a lot of those words and it’s some of her best acting. I can tell you in my view and I’ve known her since she didn’t know anything about acting, it’s remarkable, she’s really killing it.” (July 28, 2018)

Todd Fisher: “I couldn’t be more personally thrilled and happy that our Carrie will reprise her role as Princess Leia in the new and final ‘Star Wars Episode IX,’ using previously unreleased footage of her shot for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As we, her family, as well as her extended family of fans around the world so believe, Carrie’s ‘Princess Leia’ is forever entrenched in the franchise and her indelible presence is fundamental to the film. J.J. Abrams understood Carrie’s iconic role, and he has masterfully re-crafted this final entry to include this unused and very last footage of Carrie ever taken, without resorting to CGI or animatronics. Our family and her fans will look forward with great anticipation for this one!” (July 28, 2018)

Todd Fisher: “J.J. [Abrams] really made [Leia in Star Wars: Episode IX] happen.” “If I was in anyway an inspiration for the final decision to keep Leia a part of the story, that’s great. I must say at times I felt like a voice crying in the wilderness.” (July 28, 2018)

Todd Fisher: (paraphrase) “There are big surprises coming – with this movie [Star Wars: Episode IX], and with this performance and with this unused footage [of Carrie Fisher as Leia] – This one is really for the fans.” (August 3, 2018)

Todd Fisher: “There’s a lot of minutes of footage. I don’t mean just outtakes. This is unused, new content that could be woven into the storyline [of Star Wars: Episode IX]. That’s what’s going to give everybody such a great kick. It’s going to look like it was meant to be. Like it was shot yesterday.” “We’re not allowed to talk about the details of anything, but we’re thrilled at what’s been done.” (December 28, 2018)

Todd Fisher: “[Leia] was going to be the big payoff in this final [Skywalker Saga] film and that’s what the intent was prior to [Carrie] exiting [after her death]. She was going to be the last Jedi, so to speak. And that’s cool right? People used to say to me, ‘Why is it that Carrie never gets a lightsaber and chops up some bad guys?’ Even as a person of her age, Obi-Wan was in his prime was about Carrie’s age!” “I felt the stuff that Carrie did in The Last Jedi was her best work. She had really come to grips with who Princess Leia was and that she and her were one and the fact that they had all of this other footage – I didn’t even know – they had eight minutes of [previous] footage. Yeah, it’s a lot of footage. The truth is that J.J. Abrams was great friends with Carrie, loved Carrie, he had an extraordinary sense of love for her and so he took great care in moving this concept along. You know…grabbed every frame and analyzed it…thanks to J. J. conscientiously doing that and then reverse-engineering it and [got] it into the story the right way. It’s kind of magical.” “This is, in its own way, a payoff to all of that. It’s Carrie talking to us all from beyond. The beautiful thing about the concept of the Force is that there is no real death; you just exist in another dimension. So Carrie is looking down or sideways or wherever and so she is still part of us. To be able to see that — it’s magical stuff only in the movies.” (November 6, 2019)

 

8 minutes? Bring it on!!!

 

I think I shared this long time ago. Here is a breakdown of screen time for the characters of all the previous Star Wars films https://www.imdb.com/list/ls027631145/
It’s very revealing. Some characters who pivotal to the story have less than we would think. The Emperor was only on camera for 6 minutes and 15 seconds in Return of Jedi.

 

Ha, when you see those time breakdowns for all the epic characters, having at least eight mins to play around with is pretty good.

My gut is telling me they’re going to do a good job, and Leia is the highlight of the film.

 

I am sure I repeating an old post I made -

Scenes are constructed of a lot pieces. One person talking to another. When you see the second person taking, the first person is off camera. So yes, 8 minutes can be a huge presence in the movie.

I am amazed how much her brother revealed there.

 

Although it's not news that this was supposed to be Carrie's big film, it's all the more heartbreaking to have it put in this context. It casts Kathleen's "The Force is female" comment in a whole new light and causes Luke's death in TLJ to make more sense, at least in the planning stages.

 

And it sounds like those eight minutes of footage are everything they didn't use from TFA but that might not even include some of her other scenes from the leaks, like the flashback scene(s), her death scene (probably repurposed from TLJ), and her force ghost scenes. So her actual screentime might still be a few minutes more.

I'm surprised too at how much Todd revealed about Leia's role. I always figured that she was being set up as the hero of the entire saga by the final film. I feel like even if we aren't getting the original ending envisioned for TROS, we're still sorta getting that by proxy through Rey and how pivotal Leia was in training Rey as both her mentor and her spiritual strength.

 

One of the real unspoken or subconscious frustrations many had since The Last Jedi, how does this go forward without Carrie Fisher? Kathleen Kennedy and Rian Jonhson got the blame for something they never could have foreseen. No I am not saying people blamed them for her actual death. But that they did blame them for setting up an ending for her she could not finish.

I am not a fool. There still would have been those unhappy with Luke’s death even if Carrie had been alive to finish the story. But it added huge layers of extra doubts. Carrie died before The Last Jedi was even released. So so those doubts were in place even before any trailers for TLJ.

Some are going to dismiss this. But consider that there were some people who loved TLJ who felt it should end the story. Largely because no Carrie Fisher.

To summarize - there was always going to be differing opinions about these sequels. But than they were given the horrible tragedy of Carrie’s death too.

I am very hopeful that they have come up with a workable and respectful solution. Mostly do to Todd Fisher’s comments over the last 3 years.

Magnar reposting Todd’s older comments and the most recent is a good reminder that he has spoken sooner than Lucasfilm probably wanted this whole time.

Todd is happy. That is revealing. I am mostly aware of the spoilers. Something to keep in mind. These Sources are never seeing the full picture. They are trying to make sense of the pieces they are seeing.

On the flashback of Luke and Leia - Hard to imagine that would ever be cut completely. More importantly - does that sound like an opening of a Star Wars movie? They always start with space scenes to follow the opening crawl. It would be odd that a training flashback would ever open this movie. If that scene was created it is somewhere else in the movie. I suspect it was never planned differently.

 

Mark Hamill: “I happen to know that George didn’t kill Luke until the end of [Episode] 9, after he trained Leia. Which is another thread that was never played upon [in The Last Jedi].” “George had an overall arc – if he didn’t have all the details, he had sort of an overall feel for where the [sequel trilogy was] going – but this one’s more like a relay race. You run and hand the torch off to the next guy, he picks it up and goes. Ryan didn’t write what happens in 9 – he was going to hand it off to, originally, Colin Trevorrow and now J.J. […] It’s an ever-evolving, living, breathing thing. Whoever’s onboard gets to play with the life-size action figures that we all are.” (March 26, 2018) (archive)

Mark Hamill: “Yeah, it does [feel like the end of an era]. There’s no question about it. I remember speaking to Rian and asking ‘Can’t we push this [death of my character] off until 9? I was only in a sliver of 7’ But I was also influenced by George’s original plan, where Luke did not die until Episode IX, after he trained Leia. But then we need to forget that. ‘Kill the past,’ they say in the movie. I have to remember that. This is the new generation, where I’m not the protagonist anymore. And that’s fine because I love having other people do all the heavy lifting.” (April 6, 2018)


Marvel's Star Wars #12 - November 2015


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