A few days ago, a rumor surfaced that claimed Meryl Streep was going to replace Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa in the next "Star Wars" movie. While this is definitely just a baseless rumor that had the entire fandom riled up, I'll admit that the idea got me thinking.
Leia's fate is currently unknown
No one knows yet what Lucasfilm and JJ Abrams have planned for General Leia in the next film. The much-beloved character was played by legendary Carrie Fisher until her untimely passing in December 2016. Since "Episode IX" was supposed to bring an end to her story arc, many fans have wondered about what will happen next.
Leia Organa deserves a happy ending more than any other 'Star Wars' character
There's been a lot of speculation surrounding the fate of everyone's favorite space princess, but there are no definitive answers yet. There have also been many thoughts on how to finish Leia's character arc, and the most popular solution brought forward by fans is an off-screen death that is mentioned in "Episode IX's" opening crawl. I personally hate that idea because I think simply killing Leia off would be a huge mistake. It'll be unsatisfying end to her decades-long journey, and an insult to everything Leia endured.
The "Sequel Trilogy" has already been incredibly tragic for the characters from the original movies.
Han Solo was killed by his own son, and Luke Skywalker sacrificed himself to help the Resistance escape from The First Order. There's been plenty of unhappiness and death in what is actually a fairytale aimed at children, and it seems like Leia was originally going to survive the trilogy. I still want her to, even if Carrie can't be there to make it happen.
Leia has been fighting her entire life. She watched her entire planet get blown up, she was tortured by her biological father, she lost her son and husband one after the other, and she saw the rise of a new fascist regime determined to bring an entire galaxy to heel. In "The Last Jedi", Leia was close to reaching her breaking point, but a visit from Luke reminded her that there's always hope.
Unlike Han and Luke, who both ran away due to the guilt of their own failings, Leia stayed and kept on fighting. She endured, and she always hoped that all her fighting would eventually pay off. I want to see her faith rewarded, and since Carrie Fisher can't give Leia the happy ending she deserves, I'm alright with it being someone else.
No one will replace Carrie Fisher
No one will ever be able to replace Carrie Fisher. No one will ever truly be Leia except for Carrie Fisher herself, but if someone else needs to temporarily step up and see to it that at least one of the original characters gets a happy ending, then I will definitely support any kind recasting decision on Lucasfilm's part.
I'm sure whatever Lucasfilm and Abrams have planned will be what's best for the character, and I know whatever they decide will be met with backlash. "Star Wars" fans are a hard bunch to please, and they all have their own ideas for what's best for the saga. In the end, all we can do is believe Abrams has Leia's best interests at heart.
