Perhaps sensing that fans were none too happy over rumors Carrie Fisher could be brought back as General Leia in CGI form, Lucasfilm has done something they rarely do: issue an official response. In their statement, Lucasfilm denies the report in order to calm any concerns...
We don’t normally respond to fan or press speculation, but there is a rumor circulating that we would like to address. We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher’s performance as Princess or General Leia Organa.
Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend. We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honor everything she gave to Star Wars.
Will that put an end to all of this? Probably not. There are still some very big questions that need to be answered about the future of Leia in the Star Wars movies. Fisher completed her scenes for 'Episode 8', but Leia is meant to have some pivotal scenes in Colin Trevorrow's 'Episode 9' that will have to be changed somehow. And since we've already seen characters brought back through CGI a precedent has been set.
