Late actress Carrie Fisher will appear in "Star Wars: Episode IX" as her iconic character, Princess Leia, Lucasfilm announced Friday.
Director J.J. Abrams said the new movie will feature previously unreleased footage of Fisher from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Abrams said the production company received permission from Fisher’s daughter, actress Billie Lourd, to use the footage.
"We desperately loved Carrie Fisher," Abrams said. "Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie's legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII."
Fisher, 60, died in December 2016, four days after going into cardiac arrest on an airplane.
The Los Angeles coroners report said "sleep apnea and other issues" related to her death. Heroin, cocaine and ecstasy were found in her system but the coroner could not conclude it directly related to her death.
“Star Wars: Episode IX” is expected to be released December 2019.
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