Carrie Fisher’s Brother On Leia’s Return In Star Wars: Episode IX

Star Wars fans were pretty surprised when Lucasfilm released the official cast list of Star Wars: Episode IX last month. Not only did the studio confirm the appearance of Billy Dee William's Lando Calrissian, it also promised the return of Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker and the late Carrie Fisher's Leia Organa.

Explaining that it was going to use extra footage of Fisher from both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, Lucasfilm promised that Episode IX was going to give Leia's arc a proper end in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Now, speaking in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada, Fisher's brother, Todd, has decided to open up about his thoughts regarding Lucasfilm's decision to bring Carrie back to the big screen.

"My sister and Princess Leia are the same thing. And the idea of that story stopping and her not carrying forward is very disturbing to me," Todd told the publication. "It is awesome that it worked out this way and, thanks to [director] J.J. Abrams, this is going to be very magical and important to us all."

Sure, it might not have been an easy decision to make, however Todd agrees that using extra footage of Carrie from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi would be the best for his sister's Star Wars legacy.

"It is not easy, I could tell you. For me, I have to watch a lot of these old movies and it is heartbreaking sometimes to see your family that has left us," Todd explained. "But if you believe in the way our family does – in the Force – we aren't really apart at all and she will always be with us. But it is nice when you can put her back up on the screen and continue the story and continue the saga. That is important for all of us."

According to Todd, Carrie's daughter, Billie Lourd, has been sensitive to the decision because she and everyone in their family have been wanting to protect Carrie's image and legacy. So fans shouldn't worry that much about the use of Carrie's extra footage in Episode IX because the Fisher family has already thought a lot over it.

It's certainly going to be heartbreaking seeing Leia again on the big screen, and our only hope is that J.J. Abrams does our favorite Space Princess justice by giving her story a proper end.

Star Wars: Episode IX is scheduled for release on December 20, 2019.

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