Back in July, Carrie Fisher was confirmed to appear in the next Star Wars: Episode IX, but it's unclear in what capacity. Fisher's brother Todd Fisher gave some clarity when he appeared on ABC's Good Morning America to talk about the way director and co-writer J.J. Abrams included her in the film.
"There’s a lot of minutes of footage," Todd explained. "I don’t mean just outtakes. This is unused, new content that could be woven into the storyline. That’s what’s going to give everybody such a great kick. It’s going to look like it was meant to be. Like it was shot yesterday."
He added that Abrams had talked to him about how he plans to work the unused footage into the film, but he has to keep his mouth shut about plot specifics. "We're not allowed to talk about the details of anything, but we're thrilled at what's been done," Todd said.
Abrams also spoke about how necessary it was to include Carrie in a July statement.
"Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us," the director said. "We were never going to recast, or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie [Lourd], we have found a way to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII."
