Ever since the record-breaking, audience-dividing, box office-smashing The Last Jedi, fans have been waiting for news about the forthcoming ninth entry into the most famous franchise in all of the galaxy. Though rumors about Star Wars Episode IX have been plentiful, we got our first big official announcement today as StarWars.com revealed the cast of the film!
According to the official Star Wars website and a Disney press release we’ll see the return of all of the fan fave new characters Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd, as well as age-old favorites like Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and (finally!) Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. Plus, joining the Star Wars universe this time around are Richard E. Grant and Naomi Ackie.
But the biggest reveal is undoubtedly the return of the late Carrie Fisher, in the form of unreleased footage originally shot for The Force Awakens. “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher,” Abrams told StarWars.com. “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.”
Are you excited about this news? Can’t wait to learn more about the new additions? Wanna see Mark Hamill as a Force Ghost? Let us know below.
Images: Disney, Lucasfilm
