PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

“Star Wars” is not finished with Carrie Fisher after all. Lucasfilm says unreleased footage of the actress will be used in the next installment of the “Star Wars” saga to draw her character’s story to an end.

The studio and writer-director J.J. Abrams announced Friday that footage of Fisher shot for 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will be used in the ninth film about the Skywalker family that includes Fisher’s character, Leia.

Filming is to begin Wednesday at London’s Pinewood Studios.

Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, also will appear in the film, which for the moment is simply called “Episode IX.” It is scheduled to be released in December 2019.

Fisher died in December 2016 after she finished work on the middle installment in the trilogy, “The Last Jedi.” Director Rian Johnson opted not to alter her storyline, leaving Leia’s fate to be handled by Abrams.

‘Black-ish’ creator Kenya Barris leaves ABC, may head to Netflix

The long-rumored departure of “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris from ABC Studios is official. Barris issued a statement late Friday acknowledging his departure.

Trade outlets, including Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, are reporting Barris is considering a multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix. USA TODAY asked Netflix for comment but has not received a response.

Barris is executive producer of ABC’s popular, Emmy-nominated “Black-ish,” along with its Freeform spinoff, “Grown-ish,” and an upcoming Freeform comedy, “Besties.”