Carrie Fisher's Final Movie To Be Released After 7-Year Hiatus

Actress Carrie Fisher is going to appear on the big screen seven years after she passed away in December 2016 at the age of 60.

The "Star Wars" actress best known for her role as Princess Leia in a galaxy far, far away, suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles just before Christmas. Her mother, "Singin' In The Rain" actress Debbie Reynolds, passed away a few days later of a stroke during funeral planning.

Although it's been seven years, Fisher's final film, "Wonderwell," is finally going to have a theatrical release this summer.

On Wednesday, Deadline reported that Vertical had acquired the rights to distribute Carrie Fisher's final film, "Wonderwell," which also stars Rita Ora, Nell Tiger Free, Sebastian Croft, and Kiera Milward. The film will hit theaters in North America, the United Kingdom, and Ireland this summer.

Fisher had finished filming her scenes for the movie mere weeks before her sudden passing. Vertical is planning for a limited theatrical release for "Wonderwell" through AMC Theatres. Shortly after, it will be released digitally on Friday, June 23.

"Wonderwell" director Vlad Marsavin told Deadline that the production has faced setback after setback. After Fisher's unexpected passing, the entertainment industry was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, which delayed an already troubled production.

"Now is the perfect time to share [Fisher's] magical on-screen moments as Hazel," Marsavin told the outlet, noting that the film will include a dedication to the late actress.

“Carrie was full of energy during filming and even celebrated her 60th birthday with us in Italy where we shot the movie," he explained. "After a night shoot, which went on until 2 am, she invited the whole team to celebrate with her and the party ended up being shut down by the police because it was deemed a little too loud. Her passing was very emotional for the whole team.”

"Wonderwell" costar Rita Ora told the outlet that "working alongside Carrie Fisher was one of those experiences that you never forget."

"Wonderwell" tells the story of a girl named Violet (Kiera Milward) who is brought to "a mysterious portal" near a medieval Italian village by Hazel, who is played by Carrie Fisher. Hazel offers a glimpse of what Violet's future might hold after Violet and her family travel to the small village for a modeling opportunity for her sister.

Lee Rudnicki, a producer on the film, published a blog post in July 2021 to describe seeing Carrie Fisher's final scenes after he attended a screening of the movie in Rome. He said that her final scenes "took my breath away" and didn't have enough positive praise for the late actress.

"In fact, if you were an actor, and you knew with 100% certainly this was your last day on Earth, this is a scene you might design to say goodbye to your fans," Rudnicki wrote at the time. "Carrie’s last line is about life itself — I won’t spoil it here, but it is genius, if not heartbreaking.

He went on to say that her scenes gave him "goosebumps like I have never experienced in my life," adding, "The scene is golden, a magical final curtain call for a very special actress and woman who left this Earth far too soon."

On May 4, 2023, which is known as Star Wars Day due to a play on "May The Force Be With You" becoming "May The Fourth Be With You," Carrie Fisher posthumously received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her daughter Billie Lourd accepted the star on her behalf. Fisher's "Star Wars" costar Mark Hamill, who is best known as Luke Skywalker in the franchise, also gave an emotional speech on her behalf.

After starring in the original trilogy, Carrie Fisher made an appearance in 2015's "The Force Awakens," which kicked off the sequel trilogy. She posthumously appeared in 2017's "The Last Jedi." She finished filming her scenes for "The Last Jedi" before she completed her work on "Wonderwell," as per Deadline.

Her character received a final send-off in 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker," which used unused footage of her from the two preceding films in the trilogy. No "Star Wars" movies have been released in theaters since that time, but Disney revealed earlier this week that two new "Star Wars" films are planned to be released in 2026.