Hello nerds!

I guess you can't keep good Jedi down, because Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker are confirmed to return in Star Wars:Episode IX. 

It's been revealed the Force-wielding intergalactic twins, played by Carrie Fisher and Mark hamill, are both returning alongside the beloved former Baron Administrator of Cloud City, Lando Calrissian, played by the great Billy Dee Williams. Wowzers!

In honoring the late Carrie Fisher, it turns out they won't be going the route we all feared and doing a CGI Leia. According to director JJ Abrams, Episode IX will instead use previously unseen footage from The Force Awakens. 

Excellent! I mean, we all expected Leia to show up in some fashion in Episode 9, given that she survived the events of The Last Jedi. But, I think we dreaded them doing what they did with "Young Leia" at the end of Rogue One. It's nice to know they're going the more traditional route. And how about the return of both Luke and Lando to the freaking rebellion? 

With the resurgence of Lando Calrissian's popularity, thanks to Donald Glover's fantastic performance in Solo, we were hoping it was only a matter of time before Billy Dee returned as well. So, the announcement of his return was kind of expected, but Mark Hamill coming back is an unexpected surprise. And a pleasant one at that.  

The untitled final chapter to the Skywalker saga starts production next week, with Hamill & Williams joining Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Lupita N'yong'o, Anthony Daniels, Jimmy Vee and Joonas Suotamo. And lest we forget, Keri Russell is also joining the cast in an unspecified role, but given the details we do know, she'll be quite the badass. As a special treat, composer John Williams, who has scored all eight of the previous films in the Skywalker saga, is back to score Episode IX as well.

As for me, I can't wait to see Leia, Lando and Force ghost Luke smack dab in the middle of the fight. This thought has resulted in a goofy ass grin taking over my whole face. It's not likely to dissipate for quite some time. 

Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20, 2019.