What is Princess Leia's future after Carrie Fisher's death?

  • 28/12/2016

The future of Princess Leia is uncertain after the sudden death of her actress, Carrie Fisher, on Tuesday.

Fisher, the actor, writer and daughter of Hollywood royalty, suffered a heart attack on December 23 on board a flight from London to Los Angeles.

She became internationally famous starring as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise 39 years ago.

The eighth film in the series, Episode VIII, wrapped shooting in July and is now in post-production. Fisher had no scenes left to film and it's set to be released in December 2017.

This means Disney and Lucasfilm, producers of the Star Wars series, won't have to address Fisher's death until the ninth film begins shooting in 2017. The film, Episode IX, is the last of the Star Wars trilogy and will be the only one without Fisher.

"Carrie holds such a special place in the hearts of everyone at Lucasfilm it is difficult to think of a world without her," said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm.

"Carrie also defined the female hero of our age over a generation ago. Her ground-breaking role as Princess Leia served as an inspiration of power and confidence for young girls everywhere."

Fellow actors will also have to adjust to her absence, notably Mark Hamill, who plays Star Wars hero Luke Skywalker. He wrote on Twitter: "No words #Devastated".

Fisher's death also left her involvement in her role on the comedy series Catastrophe unresolved, where she played the mother of star Rob Delaney's character. Fisher was returning from her work on the third season, set to premiere early next year, when she suffered the heart attack.

The show has already been renewed for a fourth season, but there's no word on how the show will handle Fisher's character.

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