Princess Leia puts Disney in Star Wars-size dilemma

New York/Los Angeles: Carrie Fisher’s unexpected death on Tuesday did not just leave Star Wars fans heartbroken. It thrust movie studio Walt Disney Co into a dilemma over the fate of her iconic character, Princess Leia, as it moves forward with the blockbuster film franchise.

Fisher, 60, enjoyed a new round of fame when Princess Leia, Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker were reunited on screen for 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which sold more than $2 billion in tickets at the global box office. The actress had finished filming for the 2017 release of Star Wars: Episode VIII, Disney said, whose plot details have remained, as always, a closely guarded secret.

Fisher was also expected to play a key role in the ninth installment of the sci-fi saga, due for release in 2019. A Disney spokeswoman on Tuesday declined to comment on whether Leia would appear in films beyond Episode VIII.

Star Wars director Colin Trevorrow said in a January 2016 interview that he was excited “to find new places that we can take” the characters of Princess Leia and her on-screen twin brother Luke Skywalker.