While promoting his true story drama Detroit, which expands nationwide August 4, John Boyega shared some new details about Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is shaping up to be the biggest movie of the year when it hits theaters this December. The talk turned to the late Carrie Fisher, with John Boyega, who returns as Finn, revealing that Leia Organa will be sent off in an amazing way. He also reveals that Leia will not be killed off, instead living on forever in the Star Wars universe. Here's what the actor had to say about working with Carrie Fisher, and how the movie handles her departure.
"It was amazing. I mean, you get to know someone, and the gloss and the glamour of the person starts to go away and you just see the person and have a great time. We really enjoyed each other's company. I was in Nigeria when we found out [about her death] with family. It was a strange, strange feeling. I felt like everyone in the cast went silent for a bit after that ... [But] this movie, it sends her off in a very amazing, amazing way. She's still kept alive in this franchise and that's the beauty of it. She lives forever, in a sense."
The actor wouldn't offer much more on Leia Organa and how she is sent off in his interview on Popcorn with Peter Travers, but this isn't the first time we've heard the movie will pay homage to this iconic character. A report from February claimed that Star Wars 8 reshoots paid tribute to the Leia Organa character, although no specifics were given about how the reshoots would accomplish that. This send-off is reportedly similar to how the Furious 7 was reworked after the death of Paul Walker, and it seems very clear that we won't actually see Leia die in this movie.
While Disney and LucasFilm hardly ever respond to press reports and the dearth of rumors swirling around this massive franchise, they did respond to a rumor in January, just weeks after Carrie Fisher's death, confirming that Leia will not be digitally re-created in any way, shape or form in Star Wars 9. The original report claimed that the studio was mulling over using the same technology that brought Grand Moff Tarkin back to life, years after actor Peter Cushing had passed away. While we won't be seeing Leia in the final installment of this new trilogy, there is still very little we know about the role she plays in The Last Jedi, which hits theaters December 15.
Director Rian Johnson revealed in June that Star Wars 8 post-production will be complete sometime in August, so it's possible that a new trailer could be just around the corner. The first trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi debuted at Star Wars Celebration, with the studio debuting a sizzle reel at the D23 Expo last month as well. It's possible the next trailer could be timed to the massive Force Friday event, the day when the first wave of Star Wars 8 merchandise goes on sale. Take a look at John Boyega's video interview segment with Peter Travers, where he talks Carrie Fisher and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.