Filming is officially underway on。 Star Wars Episode IX 。, with director J.J. Abrams returning to the helm. Abrams tweeted about the start of filming with a special mention of Carrie Fisher, whose untimely death in 2016 incontrovertibly impacted the series and its future. 。

SEE ALSO:Mark Hamill shared a nice post about Carrie Fisher in Star Wars and now we're crying again 。

Fans received a surprise in July when Fisher's name appeared in the cast for
。 Fans received a surprise in July when Fisher's name appeared in the cast for。Episode IX 。 . Abrams explained that she would appear in unseen footage from。The Force Awakens。

, which he also directed. Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd approved the decision. 
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Star Wars: Episode IX。

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is due in Dec. 2019. 。

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