Star Wars: The Last Jedi will pick up shortly after the events of The Force Awakens but if you thought the destruction of The First Order's Starkiller base will have made life easier for the Resistance, think again. With the Republic destroyed, they're struggling. "They’re a small band that’s now cut off, on its own, and hunted when the Republic is shattered," director Rian Johnson says. "When the First Order did that hit, the Resistance is isolated, and they’re very vulnerable. That’s where we pick them up."
General Leia Organa meanwhile is still grieving over the loss of Han Solo after his murder at the hands of their son Kylo Ren and the filmmaker went on to reveal where exactly we find her in The Last Jedi. "She’s suffered quite a bit. While I was figuring out what her deal was going to be in this film, it’s one of the things I talked about with Carrie before I started writing: where the character would go."
Much of Fisher's story arc in The Last Jedi will apparently revolve around her newfound friendship with Poe Dameron and Entertainment Weekly confirms that Episode IX is now being rewritten to reflect the actress's sudden death last year. However, her role in this movie hasn't changed and Johnson says he hopes that fans are going to be happy with what he's done with Leia in this highly anticipated movie.
"There’s no way that we could’ve known this would’ve been the last Star Wars movie she would be in, so it’s not like we made the film thinking that we were bringing closure to the character," Johnson explains. "But watching the film, there’s going to be a very emotional reaction to what she does in this movie." How would you like to see Leia's story brought to a close? Share your thoughts below.