The release date for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is more than a year away, but that has not stopped everyone involved (and everyone not involved) from talking about it ad nauseam. With so little actual information available on the film, the Internet has been awash in rumors and speculation about who was going to appear, what parts they might play, and what might happen to them. Now we can confirm at least one rumor that has been circulating for some time now: Carrie Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd is indeed going to be appearing in the film.
The information comes straight from the Fisher family, actually. Lourd’s grandmother and Fisher’s mother, Debbie Reynolds recently made the announcement when she brought members of her family onstage during her farewell appearance at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas. According to Vegasseven.com (via Comic Book Movie), Reynolds introduced her family, saying that Billie and Carrie were currently working on Star Wars: The Force Awakens with “Harrison Ford…and that other boychik.” While this announcement did not get a wild reaction from the Vegas crowd, Star Wars fans are probably a bit more excited at the news.
Now, of course, we have to wonder what part Lourd is playing in the new Star Wars. Some speculation says that she’s just going to be Princess Leia in flashback scenes, or perhaps a different member of the Skywalker/Solo family. She’s unlikely to have a really hefty part, although that’s always possible. The 21 year old has no acting credits at all, but I guess you have to start somewhere.
We will find out all about Lourd’s part, and more, when Star Wars: The Force Awakens finally opens on December 18, 2015. Until then, you can bet that we’ll be hearing a few more casting rumors, and fewer confirmations, in the coming months.