J.J. Abrams reveals Carrie Fisher's Leia Organa is no longer a princess in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Fisher's iconic character will be "referred to as General," the director confirmed with Entertainment Weekly. "But ... there's a moment in the movie where a character sort of slips and calls her 'Princess.'"
"The stakes are pretty high in the story for her, so there's not much goofing around where Leia's concerned, but it felt historic to have her, especially with Harrison, back in scenes together," Abrams added. "I can only imagine the baggage that they bring to it, I'm just a fan who loves this stuff, but they've been living with it, and living in it, since 1977."
The "Star Trek" reboot helmer also gave high praise to Fisher, who returns to her iconic role after 32 years.
"She is crazy brilliant. She's actually, she reminds me more than anyone I've met of Mike Nichols, which is why, I think, when they did 'Postcards from the Edge,' they got along so famously," he said. "It's an amazing thing, her sort of free-associative mind, her ability to find humor in anything - she's like a divining rod for wordplay. She's incredible."
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is the next installment to George Lucas' long-running space opera that began with 1977's "Star Wars: A New Hope." It is also marks the first film to be released under the Walt Disney company, who bought the rights to the franchise in 2012.
Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford also reprise their roles as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, respectively. Series Newcomers include John Boyega (Attack the Block) as Finn, Daisy Ridley (Mr. Selfridge) as Rey, Oscar Isaac (X-Men: Apocalypse, A Most Violent Year) as Poe Dameron, Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) as Captain Phasma and Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings) as Supreme Leader Snoke.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" arrives on Dec. 18, 2015.
