Originally published December 28, 2016. Updated April 16, 2018.
In the wake of the tragic news about Carrie Fisher’s unfortunate passing, many fans have wondered in the back of their minds what this means for Star Wars: Episode VIII and future films in the franchise.
The sequel to The Force Awakens, directed by Looper’s Rian Johnson, wrapped filming in July and is currently in the middle of post-production. Variety is reporting that Fisher completed all of her scenes during production, and that Leia will play a much larger role in the story than she did in The Force Awakens.
The big elephant in the room, however, is Star Wars: Episode IX, directed by Colin Trevorrow. Variety’s article states that Disney and Lucasfilm will not have to address Fisher’s passing until production on IX begins in late 2017 – early 2018. What they will do for that film is anyone’s guess at this point, as General Leia was to play a role in the final film of the Sequel Trilogy.
In addition to Star Wars: Episode VIII, Fisher had also completed work on a guest appearance in the third season of the Amazon/Channel 4 comedy series Catastrophe, which is slated to air in the spring.
Star Wars: Episode VIII is scheduled for release on December 15th, 2017.
