The upcoming movie – the final chapter of the Star Wars sequel trilogy – wrapped production earlier this month, and rumoured nuggets of info have been landing online. Of course Disney, Lucasfilm and director JJ Abrams have been keeping tight-lipped on what’s in store, so everything is to be taken with a grain of salt for the time being. But this the second time now that this particular alleged scene has reared its head in all the chatter.
It concerns Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Leia (the late Carrie Fisher) in flashback.
For Fisher’s scenes, previously unused footage from 2015’s The Force Awakens and 2017’s The Last Jedi is being used.
But earlier this month, a rumour emerged online suggesting that a flashback scene between the two characters will use either different actors, or some kind of CGI work.
CGI work on Leia had previously been ruled out by Abrams, but the popular podcast Now This Is Podcasting from Making Star Wars appears to have given new details from an unnamed – but purportedly very reliable – source.
The podcast’s host said: “Supposedly in one of the flashback moments, there’s a young Luke and Leia moment.
“And they [the insider] think that Billie Lourd might have been a stand-in, assuming it was CGI.”
If Abrams did decide to use CGI trickery for Leia, the use of Lourd may well be the most feasible option: she is Fisher’s daughter.
The host continued: “From what it sounds like, Leia was being trained by Luke to some degree. And then it sounds like she decides not to do it.
“I almost think it’s because she’s going to have this baby [Kylo Ren]. Little Ben’s in there. It wasn’t really clear.”
Whether such a scene does, in fact, exist or not is something we’ll have to wait until the end of the year to find out.
Star Wars 9 is out in December but still does not have an official title. It is expected to come out before – or, worst case scenario, during – Star Wars Celebration in April.
The movie then hits cinemas in the UK on December 19.