On any given day, there are no shortage ofStar Warsrumors, and one of the most recent ones to surface was that Meryl Streep may be eyed to replace the late great Carrie Fisher inStar Wars 9. That has never been confirmed, but it hasn’t stopped others from asking about it, and during a new interview to promote the home video release ofStar Wars: The Last Jedi, Mark Hamill was asked about the possibility of re-casting another actress to step in and play Leia inStar Wars 9, and here’s what he had to say in response.
“First of all, I don’t know what the specific plans were for that character, but just the way Han Solo was more prominent in 7, Luke was more prominent in 8, we assumed that Leia would be more prominent in 9, especially since the dynamic of having Kylo Ren as her son… I think it would be tough recasting, only because she’s so indelibly linked with that character. They’ve already ruled out the idea of computer-generating her performance like they did with Peter Cushing, so, gee, that’s gotta be a really… not an insurmountable problem, but I know the script had been developed enough that when we lost her, they had to go back to square one. But she’s irreplaceable, as far as I’m concerned.”
TheStar Warsicon does bring up a good point, about how prominent Han Solo was inThe Force Awakensand how prominent Luke Skywalker was inThe Last Jedi, before both characters were ultimately killed off in those respective movies. There had been rumors afterCarrie Fisherpassed away in December 2016 at age 60, that there were still some big moments the actress had left to film, including aconfrontation with her son, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), but those rumors were never confirmed. When asked about the possibility of becoming a Force Ghost inStar Wars 9himself, Hamill had this to say.
“You know, I have to phrase it correctly because I had the most amazing entrance ever in my career in 7,I had this incredible exitin 8, so I didn’t really have a beginning, middle and end, I had a beginning and an end, but it feels complete, in a way. Whatever they decide, you know, if it’s minimal or non-existent, I’m fine with 9. But it’s all up to Chris Terrio and J.J. Abrams, who are writing it right now.”
Mark Hamillalso added that neither Chris Terrio nor J.J. Abrams have offered any indication as to whether or not Luke Skywalker will be seen and/or heard inStar Wars 9as they continue their work on the script. There have been reports that filming will begin this coming July, so it’s possible that the script is either complete, or nearing completion, as the production start date draws closer. Disney and LucasFilm have set a August 12, 2025 release date forStar Wars 9, which brings this new trilogy to a close. Take a look at Mark Hamill’s interview on Collider YouTube below, where he also discusses “The Trumpster” hybrid of The Joker and Donald Trump he created, and the possibility of the actor starring inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
