The death of actress Carrie Fisher left a huge hole both in Hollywood and in the Star Wars universe. While it was expected that Fisher's iconic character, Princess Leia (better known now as General Leia Organa in the later films) would depart the franchise following Fisher's passing, some fans think that the formidable leader should stick around. How? By having Fisher's longtime friend Meryl Streep portray Leia in future Star Wars instalments.
The suggestion that Streep take over for Fisher first gained traction via an online petition, which, as of press time, is just shy of its 9,000 signature goal. The reasoning for replacing Fisher is simple: Leia is an important character whose story is simply not over.
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The petition states:
"As the fans of Star Wars and Carrie Fisher, we really want Leia to shine in Episode IX and we certainly do not want her to be written out of the film abruptly without a reasonable plot. Therefore, recasting Leia is a more ideal option for us and we believe that Meryl Streep is an ideal candidate to play Leia."
Streep is widely known as one of the greatest actresses of our time, but her multitude of Oscar nominations and many stellar performances aren't the only reason this petition name checks her to replace Fisher. In addition to being a personal friend of the late star (Streep quoted Fisher during the Cecil B. DeMille Award acceptance speech at the Golden Globes in 2017) Streep portrayed the When Harry Met Sally actress in a previous film.
Well, sort of. The film Postcards from the Edge, which was written by Fisher and based on her 1987 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, stars Streep as "Suzanne Vale," who is based, albeit somewhat loosely, on Fisher.
Despite the 9,000 signatures backing Streep's version of Princess Leia, not everyone is onboard:
Oh, did someone order a terrible idea? Well, it’s arrived: https://t.co/sxDDeBsABO
— Dave Schilling (@dave_schilling) March 29, 2018
So.....they kill off Luke and Han, a Star Wars original actually passes away and they want to replace her?
— Faolan (@TheCoffeeSnolf) March 29, 2018
NO!!! Disney, you are ruining an iconic franchise! https://t.co/y3OULH1g5k
You're telling me there's a petition to replace Carrie Fisher in #StarWars Episode IX with Meryl Streep? pic.twitter.com/vkJMA9haTs
— Steve Toogood (@thetoogood91) March 30, 2018
No, Carrie Fisher is Princess Leia not Meryl Streep. I would rather them kill off Leia between VIII and IX pic.twitter.com/if6qNnLXm6
— August?? (@little__grizz) March 29, 2018
It's clear that Star Wars fans have different ideas about what it means to honour Leia and Fisher.
As for whether this casting could actually come into fruition? It seems unlikely. A representative for Streep said her having a place in the Star Wars universe as Princess Leia was "not true."
Refinery29 has reached out to Lucasfilm who did not respond as of press time for comment.