With the large cast of J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII already announced, it’s hard to imagine that some names may have slipped through the cracks. However according to a new rumor from several sources, Carrie Fisher’s real-life daughter Billie Lourd (who has no acting credits to her name) will also be making the trip to that galaxy far, far away.
The rumor actually broke a few days ago, when Latino Review suggested she’d joined the film in a cameo role. Now, new rumors have come trickling in that suggest Lourd has a larger, and more important, role in the film.
According to The Daily Mail, Lourd could be playing a younger version of Princess Leia, presumably in flashbacks:
Although her daughter Billie Lourd, 21, is a relative unknown, director J.J. Abrams is said to have chosen her to play a young version of her mother’s character because of their visual similarities… She will even have her hair tied up in Princess Leia-style buns. She’s an aspiring actress and singer so she grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Carrie backed the move as she wanted somebody in her family to play her most famous role.
Then, British talk show Good Morning Britain chimed in, and suggested that Lourd had actually been cast to play Leia’s daughter.
Without an official confirmation from Lucasfilm, Bad Robot, or Disney, we’ll have to file this away as a rumor for now. There’s certainly a chance that any of these rumors could be true, but with so much speculation surrounding this highly secretive production, it’s become hard to find out what’s actually true.
What do you think? Would you like to see Billie Lourd in Star Wars: Episode VII? Sound off in the comments.
Originally published July 1, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
