Star Wars: Five reasons Leia shouldn’t be recast

Recently, fans have petitioned for Meryl Streep to take over as Leia Organa for Star Wars: Episode IX. However, some roles just can’t be replaced.

After the devastating death of Carrie Fisher in December 2016, many fans wondered what the future of Princess Leia would be. Fortunately, she had filmed all her scenes for The Last Jedi before her death. However, plans for her character for Episode IX are, as of now, unclear.  The official Star Wars website made a statement stating “Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher’s performance”.

Will the role of Leia be recast? Some fans are advocating for this. Fans started a petition on thepetitionsite.com calling for Meryl Streep to take on the iconic role. As of now, the petition has over 10,000 signatures.

Here are five reasons why Princess Leia shouldn’t be recast:

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1. Mark Hamill is against it

Luke Skywalker himself opposes the recast suggestion.  In an interview with Collider, Hamill spoke out against the idea, calling Fisher “irreplaceable”.  We should listen to the Jedi Master.

2. Princess Leia is too iconic

Arguably, Leia has some of the most iconic imagery from the franchise, including the cinnamon bun hairstyle and slave bikini. These scenes are important not only to nerd culture, but to American popular culture as well.

This iconography is now forever linked to Fisher. You can’t have one without the other. Recasting Leia would just not feel right.

3. Fans would be divisive about it

Though the petition has amassed thousands of signatures, it is in no way indicative of the huge Star Wars fanbase.  Since the character is so beloved, a recast is bound to cause controversy.

Frankly, the Star Wars franchise does not need more disgruntled fans at the moment. The current audience Rotten Tomatoes score for The Last Jedi speaks a lot.  Episode IX needs to be handled very carefully for audiences to positively respond to it.

4. It would be too distracting

Lucasfilm needs to put their everything into Episode IX. Recasting Leia would ultimately cause more problems than fix them.

Someone else playing Leia would draw attention away from storylines and themes. Most likely audiences would compare the performance to Fisher’s, especially if a powerhouse like Streep played the role.

5. It would be disrespectful to Fisher

Finally, recasting Leia would dishonor Fisher’s memory. In her last memoir, The Princess Diarist, Fisher states her fondness for the role.

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“I’m Leia – I can live in a tree, but you can’t take that away from me,” she states.

No one should take the role from her. Leia is Fisher’s and only Fisher’s. She has done so much for Star Wars and its fans. The least we could do is keep Fisher’s ownership of the role.