General Leia Organa and the woman who portrayed her, Carrie Fisher, will have a key part to play in Star Wars: Episode 9. Director J.J. Abrams explained at Star Wars Celebration Chicago how they made Leia’s role in the movie’s story work following Fisher’s passing in 2016.
Though Fisher passed away prior to Episode 9 beginning filming, Abrams knew he needed to keep Leia in the final Skywalker movie’s story. “What are you going to do?” he said on stage at the Episode 9 Star Wars Celebration panel. “You don’t recast that part, and you don’t have her suddenly disappear.”
Source: IGN.com Star Wars: Episode 9: Director J.J. Abrams Built the Story Around Leia