Why Billie Lourd Says 'Star Wars: Episode IX' Is 'Magical' (Exclusive)

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The film marks the last appearance of Lourd's late mother, Carrie Fisher, as Leia.

Carrie Fisher's legacy continues in Star Wars: Episode IX. 

The late actress will make her last appearance as Leia in the upcoming film via unused footage from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and as her daughter, Billie Lourd, describes, it will be "magical." 

"I gotta watch myself because the Star Wars PD is going to come get me, but it is incredible," Lourd, who plays Lieutenant Connix in the latest Star Wars trilogy, tells ET. "I've read the script and I've been on set. I was on set for, like, three weeks back in September, and it is going to be magical."

"I can't say much more, but I'm so excited about it and so grateful to be a part of it," she adds. "Star Wars is my heart. I love it."

Disney and Lucasfilm confirmed in July that Fisher, who died in December 2016, would be appearing in Episode IX, which is set to hit theaters on Dec. 20, 2019. The Last Jedi ended with Leia escaping from her son, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), and his First Order troops, as she and the remaining Resistance forces left Crait in the Millennium Falcon.

“We desperately loved Carrie Fisher,” J.J. Abrams -- who is directing the movie and co-wrote the script with Chris Terrio -- said in a statement on StarWars.com at the time. “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,” he continued. 

Abrams called the first day of filming in August "bittersweet" without Fisher. Mark Hamill will also star in the film, alongside Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) and newcomers to the franchise Keri Russell, Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. See more in the video below. 

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