VIDEO: J.J. Abrams Discusses Carrie Fisher's Impact on the STAR WARS Series, and Her Inclusion in THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

During D23 Expo, J.J. Abram's talked about Carrie Fisher, and her impact on the Star Wars series.

Abrams discussed his decision to repurpose old footage of Fisher for the series' final installment, The Rise of Skywalker.

"The character of Leia is really, in a way, the heart of this story," Abrams said. "We realized we could not possibly tell the end of these nine films without Leia. We realized that we had footage from Episode VII,'and we could use it in a new way."

Fisher died on Dec. 27, 2016, at the age of 60, and had already completed filming on her role in "The Last Jedi." According to Variety, Fisher's family approved previous footage of her being used for The Rise of Skywalker.

Watch Abrams talk about Fisher and her impact in the video!

Returning cast members in The Rise of Skywalker include Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran and Billy Dee Williams.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on Dec. 20.