Carrie Fisher's brother says there's 'a lot' of new Leia footage in Star Wars: Episode IX

Carrie Fisher isn't really gone. Three years after death, she will appear posthumously in Star Wars: Episode IX, and her brother has just provided some new details about her role in the movie.

Fisher died in December 2016 before filming on Star Wars: Episode IX could take place, but Lucasfilm announced in July that she would still appear in it, as director J.J. Abrams will incorporate "unseen footage" shot during production of 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

On Friday, Fisher's brother explained to ABC News that there's "a lot of minutes of footage" of Fisher and that it's not "outtakes" but instead "new content that could be woven into the storyline" and that will "look like it was meant to be." He wouldn't offer any other details, but he did say he's "thrilled" with what Lucasfilm has accomplished.

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Fans have speculated that the footage may concern a storyline rumored to have been cut from The Force Awakens that involves General Leia Organa trying to create a superweapon called the Warhammer, IGN reports. It has never been confirmed that this separate Leia plot was filmed, but if it was, it's possible Abrams has been able to incorporate it into the new film.

Star Wars: Episode IX, which will also see the return of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, will hit theaters on Dec. 20, 2019.