10 Iconic Movie Characters Only ONE Actor Could Play
3. Princess Leia - Carrie Fisher
At one point, the idea of recasting the original Star Wars cast with younger actors probably appealed to Disney.
Solo was the film that tested the waters on that front, giving audiences new versions of Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, and while both were interesting takes (especially Donald Glover's Lando), both lived in the shadow of the previous stars. Like I mentioned earlier, it didn't help that the performances of the new actors felt like imitations of what came before either.
Even without that in mind though, the idea of recasting Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia would have been incredibly controversial. Even her silhouette - those buns from A New Hope or the flowing hair in Return of the Jedi - is instantly iconic, and Fisher, across the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy, brought such heart to the galaxy far far away that Disney will struggle to ever recast the role.
The one time a young Leia was needed for the final scene of Rogue One, the Mouse House opted to use digital scans of Fisher rather than recast, however with the actor's recent passing Disney may be more inclined to respect her memory and retire Leia for good in the future.