If you’ve seen Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, you know that the final scene is A LOT. Norwegian actress Ingvild Deila plays a special effects-enhanced version of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) right before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope begin.
It’s an emotional scene for fans, especially in light of Fisher’s unexpected death on Dec. 27, 2016. “We could only proceed if Carrie liked what we were doing,” Rogue One visual effects supervisor John Knoll told BuzzFeed News of Leia’s on-screen recreation.Rogue One producer Kathleen Kennedy “made that clear,” Knoll said in a phone interview.
According to Knoll, Fisher “saw the work in progress and saw the finished results, and was very happy with it.” He said, “Kathy [Kennedy] said she squealed with delight.”
It’s unclear how production will handle Fisher’s continued role in the Star Wars universe. “They wrapped principal photography on Episode VIII about six months ago, so they’ve shot her whole role,” Knoll said. “I know that they were expecting her to have a pretty sizable role in Episode IX, and now that’s all going to be changed — but I don’t know what the plans are. I haven’t been involved in any conversation about a technological solution.”
Though Fisher does not appear in Rogue One, Leia’s final line in the movie — “hope” — is an audio lift of Fisher’s voice from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
