Petition for Meryl Streep to play Leia picks up steam

IT WAS said Carrie Fisher would never be replaced as the iconic Star Wars character Princess Leia. But fans think they’ve found the perfect solution.

MAY the force be with Meryl?

An online petition wants the beloved Oscar-winning actor to play Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IX, as Metro reports. As of late Sunday afternoon, the petition had more than 8400 “supporters” out of a 9000 target.

The role was made famous by Carrie Fisher, who died in December 2016. Fisher appeared posthumously in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which hit theatres in December 2017.

The petition notes remarks from Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill made in October 2017 about plans for Leia to be “more prominent” in the ninth “episode” of the movie franchise, reports Fox News.

Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies.

Meryl Streep’s representative has denied rumours the actor will replace Fisher in the franchise. Picture: JP/MPI/Capital Pictures/MEGA

“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,” it says. “Therefore, recasting Leia is a more ideal option for us and we believe that Meryl Streep is an ideal candidate to play Leia.”

The petition referenced Streep’s starring role in the 1990 big-screen version of Fisher’s 1987 novel, Postcards From The Edge, as well as the friendship the two women shared.

The online petition concluded with the line, “May the force be with Carrie Fisher, Meryl Streep and Princess Leia.”

Fans, however, may want to hold their breath over the speculation: her representative described the rumours of Streep being looked at for the role as “untrue,” ET Canada reported on Friday.

Star Wars: Episode IX is due to hit theatres in December 2019.

This article first appeared on Fox News and was republished here with permission.

Originally published as Petition for Meryl Streep to play Leia picks up steam