Interesting little development. Despite actress Carrie Fisher’s passing following the shoot of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, her character was the last one of the original trio to survive in the last film. Sure, she got caught into an explosion and sucked out into space for a few minutes, but it takes more than that to take down a hardened general. While it made sense from a story perspective, it did leave one potential issue. How would Lucasfilm handle the character in Episode IX?

As we saw it, there were three options: write her out nonviolently, kill her off, or recast her with someone else. Under normal circumstances, CGing the character going forward would be the Star Wars way to do this, but the studio has already stated that they have no plans to do so. This would leave the first two methods as the way to go for them. But what about that third option?

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Some fans think they have a plan and have gone to The Petition Site to request that respected thespian Meryl Streep take on the role of General Leia in Star Wars: Episode IX. Here’s what the petition had to say:

“In an interview with USA Today, Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker and the brother of Princess Leia in STAR WARS, claimed that “Leia was meant to be more prominent in (episode) 9.” As the fans of STAR WARS and Carrie Fisher, we really want Leia to shine in Episode IX and we certainly do not want her to be written out of the film abruptly without a reasonable plot. Therefore, recasting Leia is a more ideal option for us and we believe that Meryl Streep is an ideal candidate to play Leia.”

They go on to state Streep’s numerous acting qualifications, going so far as to point to Postcards From the Edge, a film that Streep starred in and that Fisher wrote. What’s more is that the film was based on Fisher’s own semi-autobiographical novel, and this is pretty much implying that, in a way, Streep has already portrayed Carrie Fisher.

While I don’t think this petition will sway anyone over at Lucasfilm (they’re already on a moving train, so whatever approach they take is one they’ve likely already decided), I am a fan of this idea. Contrary to most fans, I’ve always felt that recasting was the best way to go, as it allows the character to continue on as originally planned in the story. Yes, Fisher will always be Leia, but even Fisher knew that the character was bigger than her, and deserves to continue on, should the story permit it.

What do you think of this possibility? Sound off down below!

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SOURCE: ThePetitionSite