Todd told The New York Times: “Both of us were like, 'Yes, how do you take her out of it?' And the answer is you don't.
“She's as much a part of it as anything and I think her presence now is even more powerful than it was, like Obi Wan – when the saber cuts him down he becomes more powerful.
He added: ”I feel like that's what's happened with Carrie. I think the legacy should continue.“
For all of those worrying that Fisher will be reconstructed using CGI - in a similar way to Peter Cushing in prequel Rogue One - it's reported that Leia's appearance in Episode IX will be comprised of scenes she filmed for The Last Jedi.
Todd, who believes that Disney and Lucasfilm will send Leia off in the right manner, said: “The people deserve to have her – she's owned by them.”
“To me, Star Wars is the holy grail of storytelling and lore and you can't mess with it.”
The Last Jedi, directed by Rian Johnson, will arrive in cinemas this December with the as-of-yet untitled Colin Trevorrow-directed Episode IX scheduled for release in 2019.
/The Independent/
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