SALT LAKE CITY — When “The Last Jedi” was released in 2017, many Star Wars fans keenly felt the loss of Carrie Fisher, who passed away a year prior.
Fisher is everywhere in the film, playing a key role as General Leia Organa, and the fact has left many wondering how Star Wars creators will incorporate her in the last film, “The Rise of Skywalker.”
In an interview with Vanity Fair released Wednesday, director J.J. Abrams gave a few details about how Fisher will be incorporated into “The Rise of Skywalker.”
Abrams said he had to repurpose existing and unseen footage of Fisher to make it work for the film, using camera angles and lighting to make it blend well with other footage. According to AV Club, Abrams created a “full Carrie Fisher performance” that gives Leia a proper farewell in the saga.
Another thing Abrams gave Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd, who plays Lieutenant Connix in “The Last Jedi,” several moments with her mother in the film.
“I purposely had written her character in scenes without Carrie, because I just didn’t want it to be uncomfortable for her,” Abrams said, recalling how Lourd approached him about her role in the new film and said, “I want to be in scenes with her. I want it for my children when I have kids. I want them to see.”
The two will act opposite each other in the film.
Abrams addressed concerns that Fisher would be portrayed using CGI similar to that used to portray her in “Rouge One.”
While there’s a possibility something will feel a bit off with some of Fisher's scenes in “The Rise of Skywalker,” Abrams said that the process was nothing like what they did to de-age Fisher with CGI in “Rogue One," AV Club reported.
“I hope when people see it, they are not thinking about that. Of course, some will, but I think it’s one of those things. It sort of goes away after a moment, because it’s not quite a magic trick; it’s sort of more of a trick of editing. There is an element of the uncanny, spiritual, you know. Classic Carrie, that it would have happened this way, because somehow it worked. And I never thought it would.”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” hits theaters Dec. 20.