Credit: LucasfilmA new actress has been revealed for the role of Leia Organa (AKA Princess Leia).
Princess Leia Organa is one of the central characters in the Star Wars franchise. Introduced as a princess and leader in the Rebel Alliance, she fights against the Galactic Empire alongside Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and her love interest, Han Solo (Harrison Ford). She later becomes a general in the Resistance, leading the fight against the First Order.
Carrie Fisher originated the role in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), returning for the original trilogy and later the sequel trilogy. Following her tragic death in 2016, previously unused footage was used to include Leia in The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
Other actresses have also portrayed Leia. Ingvild Deila served as her body double in Rogue One (2016), while Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd was the double for a younger Leia in a flashback in The Rise of Skywalker. Meanwhile, Vivien Lyra Blair played the 10-year-old princess in Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022).
Now, another actress is stepping into the role.
Who’s Playing Leia Organa Next?
We now know who is portraying Princess Leia in the upcoming project Star Wars: Secrets of the Spire.
Voice actress Shelby Young has confirmed that she will be lending her voice to the iconic character. Announcing the news on X, she wrote: “PINCH ME! i am soooooo thrilled and honored to not only be voicing leia organa(!!!), but to be voicing leia organa for @disneyparks new project: Secrets of the Spire!”
PINCH ME! i am soooooo thrilled and honored to not only be voicing leia organa(!!!), but to be voicing leia organa for @disneyparks new project: Secrets of the Spire! if you know me you how big of a deal this is to me šš„¹ i love disney, i love star warsā¦ i love my job! pic.twitter.com/SD3M2GJICc
— Shelby Young (@shelby_young) November 10, 2026
This isn’t Young’s first time portraying Leia. She previously voiced the character in Star Wars Forces of Destiny, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation. Her extensive Star Wars credits also include several other characters across animated projects and video games.
Secrets of the Spire is an augmented reality experience being tested at Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Players receive a transmission from Leia asking them to uncover Imperial secrets hidden around Black Spire Outpost, using their phones to scan locations and complete missions for the Rebellion.
Young’s latest role doesn’t mean she’s taking over from Carrie Fisher in live action. Her involvement in Star Wars: Secrets of the Spire is strictly a voice acting role, with no indication that Lucasfilm has cast her to portray Leia in any upcoming films or television series.
That hasn’t stopped fans from calling for younger actors to take over the original Star Wars trio’s roles in future projects. Luke Skywalker has been a particular focus, with Sebastian Stan repeatedly suggested as a replacement for Mark Hamill (although Stan has now arguably aged out of the competition). Hamill himself has previously supported the idea of casting an age-appropriate actor.
However, Star Wars seems more focused on looking to the future than revisiting its past. Jon Watts, who previously co-created the Disney+ series Skeleton Crew (2024), is reportedly set to direct the first installment of a new trilogy written by Simon Kinberg. Set after The Rise of Skywalker (2019), the films could feature Daisy Ridley’s Rey ā whose solo film announced three years ago seems to be stuck in development hell ā although Disney has yet to officially greenlight the project.
The Hunt for Ben Solo seems unlikely to be part of that future. Adam Driver recently addressed the scrapped film, which he developed with director Steven Soderbergh, telling The Rich Eisen Show: “It’s over. No more ‘Star Wars.'” Despite praising fans’ efforts to revive the project, Driver admitted: “I think the ship has sailed.”
The future of The Mandalorian is equally uncertain. Disney itself has admitted that The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) underperformed at the box office, grossing approximately $346 million worldwide. With the film having replaced plans for a fourth season of the Disney+ series, it’s unclear when ā or if ā Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu will return.
With so many upcoming Star Wars projects facing uncertainty, perhaps now is the perfect time to revisit the original trilogy with younger actors. However, Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), which recast Han Solo with Alden Ehrenreich, also underperformed at the box office, potentially explaining Lucasfilm’s reluctance to repeat the experiment.
Have you played Star Wars: Secrets of the SpireĀ yet?
