Carrie Fisher’s final movie, Wonderwell, is finally set to be released, seven years after her death.
In December 2016, just six weeks after she finished filming Wonderwell, Fisher died at age 60.
Her death on December 27 came just days after she went into cardiac arrest while on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
The actor, best known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, left behind her daughter Billie Lourd, while Fisher’s mother Debbie Reynolds died just a day later on December 28.
Seven years on, fans will get to celebrate Fisher’s talents when Wonderwell is finally released on June 23.
The film is described as a coming-of-age fairytale that is set both in modern-day Italy and in a magical realm.
Fisher plays the character of Hazel, an “extravagant and powerful witch of the forest”.
Rita Ora, Nell Tiger Free, Sebastian Croft and Kiera Milward also star in the film, which was directed by Vlad Marsavin.
The delay in releasing the movie wasn’t solely due to Fisher’s death.
Marsavin said on top of the cast losing Fisher, the visual effects for the movie took some time and doing so was challenging with COVID lockdowns.
He said now was the “perfect time” to share Fisher’s on-screen “magic” as Hazel.
Wonderwell dedicated to Carrie Fisher
Fisher’s death was a great shock for those who worked on Wonderwell with her.
Speaking to Deadline, Marsavin said Fisher was full of energy while shooting Wonderwell and even celebrated her 60th birthday with the cast and crew in Italy.
“After a night shoot, which went on until 2am, she invited the whole team to celebrate with her and the party ended up being shut down by the police because it was deemed a little too loud,” he said.
“Her passing was very emotional for the whole team.”
In 2020, the cast and crew paid tribute to Fisher on her birthday on the movie’s Instagram account, saying they were so “lucky” to have celebrated her last birthday.
“Carrie was truly an inspiration, from her work for the mental health community to her role in encouraging women to be fearless and unstoppable,” the post wrote.
“She is the image of strength we hope our film brings young women everywhere. As Carrie once said: ‘Do not let what you think they think of you make you stop and question everything you are’.”
Fisher’s co-star in the film, Rita Ora, who plays Yana, said working with the actress was an experience she will never forget.
In an interview with Legend Magazine in 2017, Ora revealed she was with Fisher before she got on the flight from London to Los Angeles.
“I was with her the day before she got on that flight and it’s just crazy. She drank a lot of Coca-Cola and we were, like, loving life on Coca-Cola,” Ora said in 2017.
“We were laughing, the scene was amazing and she helped me a lot. And that was it. I hope people enjoy the movie, Wonderwell. It’s a cool movie.”
Deadline reported the film will be dedicated to Fisher, Marsavin said.
