14 DAY TRIAL // Good news for Star Wars purists! J.J. Abrams has decided that no man can play a better Chewbacca than the original Chewbacca, and that man is Peter Mayhew.
The Hollywood Reporter claims in an exclusive that Mayhew has been tapped to return to his furry suit which he first donned in the first “Star Wars” movie, in 1977. Of course, due to the secrecy of the entire production being enforced by the studio and the director, the news hasn't been officially confirmed, but there are sources who swear it's true.
The first rumors began surfacing when Mayhew, a well-known figure to fans of the franchise, recently canceled an upcoming appearance at the Texas convention Comicpalooza. The reason he gave was “due to filming,” and since just yesterday it was revealed that filming had also started on Episode VII, someone put two and two together.
This isn't the first actor from the original cast that's been rumored to make a return for the newest episode. Harrison ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher who played Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in the original trilogy, are all said to make a return for this one.
That makes sense when you consider that it's been confirmed the action for Episode VII will take place 30 years in the future after the events of “Return of the Jedi,” the movie that came out in 1983.
As Mayhew, he also appeared as Chewbacca on the screen in the “Revenge of the Sith” episode, which makes his choice for this latest production a no-brainer. The actor has spent almost his entire life playing the iconic character, both on and off the screen and is considered to be irreplaceable.