Disney has just announced that Carrie Fisher will return as Leia in the next Star Wars movie. In an official press release, the studio revealed that the beloved actress will be in the film using deleted footage from The Force Awakens. “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher,” director J.J. Abrams says. “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.” The hotly anticipated movie opens Christmas 2019.