Princess Leia Has a New Name in The Force Awakens

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Star Wars: The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams reveals that Princess Leia will go by a different name in the upcoming film. The character, played by Carrie Fisher, will be known as the General in The Force Awakens, which hits theaters in just over a month.

"She's referred to as General," Abrams said. "But … there's a moment in the movie where a character sort of slips and calls her 'Princess.'" Who might that be? Abrams didn't say.

Abrams also explains that General's storyline will be quite serious, at least compared to past movies.

"The stakes are pretty high in the story for her, so there's not much goofing around where Leia's concerned," Abrams said. "But it felt historic to have her, especially with [Han Solo actor Harrison Ford], back in scenes together. I can only imagine the baggage that they bring to it, I'm just a fan who loves this stuff, but they've been living with it--and living in it--since '77."

Fisher and Ford appear in The Force Awakens as their iconic characters. Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill is also in The Force Awakens, though his character has been far more mysterious than Leia or Solo.

The Force Awakens opens on December 18. The film stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Max von Sydow, Ford, Fisher, and Hamill.

Entertainment Weekly has also released more than two dozen new Force Awakens images. See them here.

In other news, Abrams has announced that his Bad Robot studio is working on an action-strategy RPG with the makers of Infinity Blade.