Star Wars: Mark Hamill Reveals Leia Was Meant to be Prominent Figure in ‘Episode IX’

The release of Star Wars: Episode IX is still two years away, with fans curious about what exactly […]

October 9, 2017, 7:31pm

The release of Star Wars: Episode IX is still two years away, with fans curious about what exactly that story will hold. During a panel at New York Comic Con this weekend, Hamill confirmed that, prior to actress Carrie Fisher‘s sudden and tragic passing, the film would have attempted to focus on Leia’s journey and her character would be “more prominent.”

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“You’re going to really love her in (The Last Jedi),” Hamill told the crowd. “I know they’re going to try and find a way to close her story in (Episode) 9 that gives her the respect she deserves, because (Han Solo) was more prominent in 7 (The Force Awakens), Luke’s a little more prominent in 8, and certainly Leia was meant to be more prominent in 9.”

Reports about the upcoming The Last Jedi say that there wasn’t much editing that was necessary to compensate for Fisher not being able to appear in Episode IX. Hamill’s brief explanation of the new trilogy of films coincides with these reports, as Leia not being prominent means there weren’t many scenes needing to be tweaked.

With so much attention focused on the upcoming sequel The Last Jedi, the cast and crew haven’t begun to delve too much into what to expect of Episode IX, but last week, John Boyega teased the scope of that film.

“I think what’s fantastic is it feels like it’s coming back full circle,” Boyega told ComingSoon of J.J. Abrams returning to the saga. “I don’t know nothing about the script, the story. I don’t know where Finn’s going, I don’t know where Rey is going, but definitely I feel this is the war to end all wars in this movie.”

While fans have been curious about what the future holds for the series’ characters, that desire to discover what happens next is a feeling shared by Boyega himself.

“I’m interested to know how he will handle that,” Boyega confessed. “I’m asking so many questions and I haven’t had a chance to kinda sit down and write J.J. a message just to say congratulations and I’m stoked.”

Star Wars: Episode IX is due in theaters on December 20, 2019.