Carrie Fisher's family gives Disney permission to use leftover footage of Leia for "Star Wars Episode IX"

Carrie Fisher had already completed filming her latest turn as Leia in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” when she passed away on December 27. It was unclear how Disney planned to handle Leia’s storyline moving forward without Fisher playing the iconic role, but Lucasfilm had already vowed that a computer likeness of the actress would not be used in future films.

Now, Carrie’s brother Todd has confirmed that the family has given Disney permission to use the remaining footage shot over the course of “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” to add Fisher to the film and continue Leia’s story. “I think her presence now is more powerful than it ever was,” Todd said.

Any chance for fans to see more of Carrie Fisher as Leia is a welcome one, and it will be interesting to see how Leia’s story is resolved. Both Fisher and Leia deserve an epic Star Wars sendoff.