Disney is already negotiating with Carrie Fisher's estate to bring Leia back

Disney is said to be already in talks with the estate of Carrie Fisher to bring her – or her likeness at least – back into the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, according to reports.

The beloved actress died on December 27, after she suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.

And while filming had wrapped on ‘Star Wars VIII’, her death will doubtless have huge ramifications on the plot of the new trilogy going forward.

The news has come from BBC’s ‘Newsnight’, presenter Kirsty Wark delivering the report.

“Carrie Fisher died less than a fortnight ago, but in the minds of Disney movie moguls and Star Wars fans, she’s very much alive,” she said.

“And with what might be regarded as unseemly haste, Disney is negotiating with the actor’s estate over her continued appearance in the franchise.

“If Disney gets the go-ahead, Carrie Fisher will join Peter Cushing, who, last month, fifteen years after his death, played a key role in Rogue One as Grand Moff Tarkin.

“With computers, anything is possible, but is it desirable? While some living actors are contracting over the use of their image when they die, others, like Robin Williams, who killed himself in 2014, explicitly banned the commercial use of his image until 2039.”

The source of Newsnight’s scoop was not detailed, but with the young Leia having appeared briefly in ‘Rogue One’, it would follow that such a move could technically be used to stitch Fisher’s character into the next movies.

But the use of both Leia and Tarkin in ‘Rogue One’ didn’t set well with all fans, not to mention critics, some of whom found it a leap too far.

How her estate and her fans would react to the suggestion of recreating her in motion capture and CGI is another matter.

‘Star Wars VIII’, Fisher’s last movie, is due out on December 15.

Read more
First look: Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson
Jimmy Fallon’s Golden Globes telepromter fail
Batman v Superman dominates Razzie nominations