The Star Wars community was dealt a major blow in December 2016 when Carrie Fisher tragically passed away. As fans mourned the loss of a franchise icon, Lucasfilm was forced to take the in-development Star Wars: Episode IX back to the drawing board to devise a new plan for the Skywalker Saga’s conclusion. At the time of Fisher’s death, original director Colin Trevorrow was still attached, but he left the project nearly a year later and was replaced by J.J. Abrams. During pre-production on the film that would become Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Abrams devised a way to handle the Leia character. Using archived footage from old Force Awakens deleted scenes, Fisher could appear as Leia one last time.
Compared to other options that might have been on the table, the one Abrams ultimately went with was arguably the least controversial. Lucasfilm had already come out and confirmed that CGI would not be used to recreate Fisher’s likeness, a la the late Peter Cushing in Rogue One. Understandably, the filmmakers didn’t want to write the character of Leia out of the film completely given her importance to the overarching story. Recasting the role with a new actress was also deemed a non-starter since Fisher was synonymous with the fierce princess. It would have been virtually impossible to imagine anyone else in the part, but the novel Star Wars: Legacy makes a strong argument for why Leia should have been recast for Episode IX.
Star Wars: Legacy takes place between the events of The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. In the book, Rey embarks on a mission to heal the kyber crystal that powers the Skywalker family lightsaber. She and Leia travel to the planet Tython, where they discover an ancient Jedi temple filled with secrets left from the Jedi who lived generations ago. Rey and Leia have a truly fascinating dynamic in the novel’s story. They aren’t necessarily at odds with each other, but their relationship isn’t exactly smooth either. Both steadfast, determined women have to overcome their own challenges to strengthen their bond with each other. Rey can’t help but see Ben Solo whenever she’s around Leia, and Leia struggles to be the teacher Rey needs her to be.
Leia is very conscious of her shortcomings while trying to guide Rey along her path. While she learned some things from Luke, Leia made the choice to abandon her Jedi training, meaning her knowledge of the Force is somewhat limited. This makes it hard for her to really get through to Rey and connect with her, as Leia lacks the experience to properly teach someone who’s so powerful with the Force and bursting with potential. There are heartbreaking passages in Legacy where Leia voices her frustrations with Luke, who did everything he could to alienate Rey during the events of The Last Jedi. Luke may not have received traditional Jedi training like the Padawans of the Republic, but he was a student under Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda and then dedicated his life to tracking down Jedi artifacts and learning more about the ways of the Force. He was definitely better equipped to be Rey’s master.
While reading this dynamic unfold on the page in Star Wars: Legacy, I couldn’t help but think this is closest we’ll get to see what Episode IX could have looked like if Carrie Fisher was still alive. Leia’s relationship with Rey in Legacy feels like a natural continuation from where The Last Jedi left off. Rey is in desperate need of guidance — now more than ever because she sees herself as the last spark of hope for the Jedi Order — and the only person in the galaxy who’s able to help her is someone who received minimal training herself (and also has a Resistance to lead). As a lifelong Star Wars fan, I would have loved to have seen this specific Rey/Leia arc play out on screen, where it would arguably would have made a larger impact. Reading about it is great, but it obviously isn’t the same as watching it be part of the main crux of a movie, seeing actors brilliantly convey their characters’ turmoil.
As blasphemous as this might sound to some, Star Wars: Legacy make a compelling case for why Leia should have been recast in Episode IX. The dynamic between Rey and Leia is fantastic, and the only way that could have been portrayed on screen is if a new actress carried on Carrie Fisher’s legacy and brought Leia to life. There’s no getting around the fact that it would feel quite different; Fisher was Leia Organa and as close to irreplaceable in a specific role as an actor can be, but an argument can be made that recasting Leia would have helped Episode IX be a stronger film. Abrams and Co. would have had the freedom to write the role however they saw fit rather than boxing themselves in with archived footage from another movie made years ago. They could have told a story along the lines of Legacy, really exploring how Leia reconciles with Luke’s death and adapts to her new role as Jedi teacher. This only would have been possible with a recast, with a new actor delivering fresh material.
Just because Star Wars: Legacy makes a compelling case for recasting Leia doesn’t mean that this would have been guaranteed to work. If Lucasfilm had gone down this path, the studio would have been able to stick closely to the original Episode IX plan (it was meant to be Leia’s movie, as Force Awakens was Han’s and Last Jedi was Luke’s), but they would have opened themselves up to a considerable amount of controversy. Given the sensitivity of the matter and Fisher’s status as a Star Wars icon, the process of recasting Leia would have been heavily scrutinized by both fans and the media, putting an immense amount of pressure on finding the right actress. Casting has always been a strength of Abrams, but there’s a difference between searching for the next generation of Star Wars stars and finding the woman who can replace Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa.
It goes without saying that this would have been incredibly difficult, but it wouldn’t be impossible. The first thing Lucasfilm would have had to do was postpone the development of Episode IX out of respect for Fisher, giving fans and the creative team proper time to mourn the loss. The studio pivoting to a new Leia shortly after Fisher’s passing to keep The Rise of Skywalker on schedule for December 2019 would have been in very poor taste. Pushing things back would give everyone an opportunity to process the tragedy and then move forward, making the idea of recasting Leia easier to swallow. Obviously, there wouldn’t have been any ill intent behind recasting Leia; the filmmakers would have been acting in the best interests of the story being told. They could even present the case that recasting Leia and letting the character’s legacy go on would be a poignant way to honor Fisher’s memory.
Finding the right actress to play Leia would be the trickiest part, of course, but if anyone could have pulled this off, it’d be Abrams. He’s earned himself a bit of a polarizing reputation due to his nostalgia-heavy storytelling approach, but he has always had a keen eye for casting. The object in this casting search would have been to find someone who could embody the spirit of Leia and honor what Fisher did in her performances while also finding a way to put their own stamp on the part. Someone doing a Fisher impression would have sunk the film before a minute of footage was shot. One major hurdle to overcome would be finding someone who was willing to step in for the late Fisher. Many actresses have a great deal of reverence for Fisher, and a lot of them would have been wary about stepping into her most famous role. But there likely would have been someone who would have embraced the challenge, seeing it as a way to pay tribute to Fisher.
Whether audiences would buy the new Leia or not is another matter altogether. This is most likely the main reason why Abrams made the choice to use Fisher’s archived footage. It accomplished the task of including Leia in The Rise of Skywalker while still having it be Fisher. As poignant as that is, the limitations of what Abrams and his team were working with are obvious when watching the film. Leia has only a handful of minutes of screen time, and her dialogue is mostly generic statements to either Rey or Resistance crew members. Audiences don’t even see Leia’s face in her most emotional moment (when she uses the last of her energy to reach out to Ben). There certainly would have been an adjustment period for viewers, but after a couple of scenes, the initial shock of seeing the new Leia would have worn off, allowing people to just settle in and watch the movie, featuring a more dynamic role for the character of Leia. Again, this wouldn’t have been easy, but pulling off the gargantuan task of recasting Leia would have given The Rise of Skywalker the story that the Skywalker Saga deserved.
