As Rogue One: A Star Wars Story closes in on $1 billion at the worldwide box office, it seems to be all that anyone can talk about these days. Everywhere you look there’s a new story popping up about Gareth Edwards’ incredibly successful prequel and the internet just can’t get enough of it. One aspect in particular that people really seem to be interested in though is the two surprising cameos – one from Peter Cushing and one from a much younger Carrie Fisher.
Of course, the reason that these cameos are causing so much commotion is due to the fact that the actors were created digitally. It’s a decision that’s proven to be pretty controversial, with fans falling on both sides of the fence, but the general feeling seems to be excitement surrounding the inclusion of these two classic Star Wars characters (Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin and Fisher’s Princess Leia).
One person who was definitely alright with it was Fisher herself, who actually got involved in the process before her death and was able to see the end result. According to visual effects guru John Knoll, who worked on Rogue One, the actress loved what they did with Leia:
“She was involved in the process and, you know, she saw the final result and she loved it. She got to see the scene. [Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm] showed it to her. So, I got a call afterwards from Kathy saying, ‘Well, Carrie loved it.’”
Of course, Rogue One isn’t the last time fans will get to lay eyes on the Princess, as Fisher also filmed Star Wars: Episode VIII before her death. She was also set to return for Episode IX as well, and with Disney still keeping quiet on what they plan to do now that she’s no longer with us, we’re unsure of if that’ll still be the case.
Could they insert her digitally to some extent, like they did in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? It’s certainly possible, but we have a feeling that they’ll opt to write her out instead. How exactly they’ll bring her arc to a close remains to be seen, but we’re hopeful that the studio will be able to figure everything out and give the iconic character the respectful sendoff she deserves.