Star Wars 9 was meant to involve a "more prominent" Leia, but Mark Hamill promises she’ll still get an ending

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype surrounding Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s new trailer but it’s impossible to forget that Star Wars Episode 9 is just over the horizon – and it’ll be missing a key player. Carrie Fisher’s untimely death in December not only left a gaping hole in the hearts of fans everywhere, it meant we’ll also miss out on a movie that – according to Mark Hamill – would have seen her in a more considerable role.

Speaking at a New York Comic Con 2017 panel on Saturday, Mark Hamill suggested that, as reported by USA Today, “they’re going to find a way to close [Leia’s] story in [Star Wars] 9.”

“Leia was meant to be more prominent in 9”, Hamill told the crowd at the Hammerstein Ballroom, indicating that, perhaps Star Wars 8 won’t be filled with as many iconic Leia moments as we wished for.

This news stings more than I was expecting. As nice as it is to see Carrie Fisher crop up in The Last Jedi, just imagine Leia capping off her run through the Star Wars universe with a star turn in the finale. It would’ve been all we could’ve wished for – and more.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.