We know that right now Peter Mayhew who played Chewbacca in the Original Trilogy is working on the Kickstarter project "Standing in the Stars" and is trying to raise funds for his upcoming dual knee replacement. Yesterday the actor participated in a huge Q&A event at Reddit and he said some really intriguing things...
Before the Q&A started Peter made a clarification:
Mayhew: Please don't ask about any questions about the new upcoming Star Wars movies. I am unable to talk about it at this time.
Later he was asked by a fan:
Fan: Awesome of you to do this AMA. Besides your Kickstarter campaign and upcoming Star Wars, what else are you doing these days? Any other projects?
Mayhew: Getting back on my feet is top priority right now. It's what will allow everything else to move forward. That's why I'm working on the Kickstarter and getting my story out there.
It really sounds like there has been some talk with Peter and there's a big chance to see Chewie or another Wookie back in Episode 7.
The story of Episode 7 was said to be set 30 years after ROTJ. I'm almost 100% sure that Wookies will be involved somehow with the new movies. The question is: will Peter manage to quickly get back in shape after the surgery.
And let's be honest - Chewie's face is one of the few that hasn't aged one bit.
By the way the whole Q&A was very interesting. Here are some of the more interesting replies by Peter:
Fan: Did you ever pass-out from the heat of your costume?
Mayhew: Once on empire. But they were more interested in the 3PO suit on my back being dented.
Mayhew: For all of you guys, here's a picture from 1978 of me and Darth Vader himself...
Fan: What is, What components went into Chewbacca's distinctive voice? Did you have any part?
Mayhew: It came from the zoo....originally, from the imagination of the sound master himself, Ben Burtt..who mixed the sounds of a bear that he met at the zoo with other organic animal sounds. Later, I was called to Skywalker Ranch to add my voice to the signature sound and become a part of the Official Voice of Chewbacca.
Fan: Was the Chewbecca costume itchy? And what is your favorite subreddit?
Mayhew: duhh... yes, but I had an under suit that stopped a lot of the itching... they dyed mine pink so that it would stand out in the laundry.... original hair came from shaving Carrie Fisher.
Fan: 1) Who was your favorite actor/actress to do scene work with during?
2) Who was your favorite actor/actress to spend time with behind the scenes?
3) Other than Chewbacca, who is your favorite character?
Mayhew: 1) Harrison Ford but Mark and Carrie were both wonderful as well. All good folks and easy to work with. 2) Everyone (with a couple of notable exceptions) 3) Obi Wan
Fan: What's your favourite memory from working on the Star Wars franchise?
Mayhew: Possibly holding Carrie Fisher in my arms at the wrap party for Star Wars while we popped the cork on the massive champagne bottle...
Fan: Peter, do you think Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker will ever make up and bury the hatchet?
Mayhew: No.
Fan: Did the script include meanings for each of the sounds Chewbacca made? Or at least, for the more significant lines he had?
Mayhew: Yes. So did R2-D2. It's so the other actors could play off their lines properly.Full Q&Q here: reddit
Why are C-3P0 & R2-D2 on the outs?
ReplyDeletecuz theyll be cgi and no need to talk with the originals.
DeleteI never really got into the behind the scenes of Star Wars filming but I googled it to find out. It appears Daniels was rude on set to Baker. Reportedly not just to Baker...
ReplyDeleteNever knew that...
OK.
DeleteI never knew that, either.
Thanks for the heads-up!
And to Anthony Daniels, I've but one thing to say ....
Beep-Boop-Beep YOU!
Pretty sure he will be in it. (YAY) I watched the kickstarter video and it mentioned something like "-and with the new star wars film coming up,..-". I mean why would they bother mentioning that unless he was in it?
ReplyDeleteDisney should foot the bill for Peter's Knee surgery.
ReplyDeleteChewbacca just has to be in episode 7, and only Peter Mayhew to play him, nobody else.
he can't come back as Chewbacca due to Chewbacca dying in the expanded universe books called vector prime. the only way he could come back is if somehow Chewbacca survived that war against the yuuzhan vong, and that will be impossible, but have peter play as his son or some other wookie due to there is nothing mentioned so far as wheter or not chewie son will take his father place in the millennium falcon cockpit and that would be awesome if so, since the story line has to take place after the star war book called crucible, so get the story line right please and not messed it up please,
ReplyDeletePerhaps Chewbacca dies after the time frame of the Sequel Trilogy?
DeleteI'm pretty sure the Expanded Universe which relates to post-VI is getting scrapped. Maybe some things are gonna get saved, but the Yuuzhan Vong, and all the other stuff isn't going to be relevant in VII.
DeleteYes you're right, Disney has gone on record that they will NOT be using the expanded universe (thank God!) and it will be all original material. I for one hope they blow the entire EU out of the water by contradicting it all. Here's hoping Chewie is back!
Deleteseveral sites have gone to say that they will be ignoring the eu for reason like Chewbacca's death.
DeleteThe books, with exception to that horrid "Shadows of the Empire," are not and never will be canon! I too hope the new films crap on everything the EU has tried to perpetuate. Chewbacca's death in that crappy book was nothing more than a marketing ploy.
DeleteAnonymous...
DeleteYou're a jackass.
Nuff said.
Duhh, it has already been confirmed that the expanded universe will have nothing to do with episode 7, so whatever you have read in all those books will not be in this new trilogy, so forget about it.
ReplyDeleteFans of the movies will expect to see Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) especially if the original cast are indeed returning.
Screw the books, these are the movies that we are talking about, no expanded universe here, that is a separate thing from the movies entirely.
DeleteThese films should take place a considerable amount of time after many of the EU books, so while the new movies will likely have nothing to do with the books, there's also no reason the films have to conflict with them. Hopefully they make the films in such a way that they can coexist with the EU.
DeleteIt would be silly to have Han Solo in Episode VII and not Chewbacca. And it would suck if anyone but Mayhew played him.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeleteIn every post-ROTJ appearance of wookies that I've seen, the wookies have had synthetic looking fur, puffy looking cheeks, and a general shapeless feel (for example in official photo shoots and in Revenge of the Sith). Sometimes even when film makers decide to use practical effects instead of CGI these days, you can often tell that the effects shop has lost the art of practical effects due to under-utilization.
ReplyDeleteChewie looked great in the originals and even in his pre-TESB appearance on the Muppet Show and I hope the costume/prosthetics team is up to the challenge of making him look that good again. (While I wouldn't want him to be all grey from age, it would be cool if his face had that subtle grey that dog's faces get as they get old - kind of how Chewie looked in the Hoth probe scene!) ;)
From this interview, there is nothing "practical" about practical effects.
DeleteI have to agree. At times, even in the originals, it almost didn't look like fur, but plastic or something. I love that scene in Hoth where his hair looked completely authentic because it had snow all in it and it was just waving about in the wind. It looked real like you could run your fingers through it. I hated the over-hairsprayed look where it was ridiculously shiny and looked like it was just all glued to the head.
DeleteYou only need to post your message once, not three times???
ReplyDeleteYou were imagining running your fingers through Chewie's hair? Gross.
ReplyDeleteLOL!!!
DeleteMayhew already one time talked more than he should have (he´s famous for it) When signing on for episode III (revenge of the sith) he accidentaly said: there was a clausul in the contract saying: "that i was "required to work in ep.7-9" ,but everyone seems to have forgotten that now. & yes, if Han Solo will be in it, then of course Chewie will as well (& PLEASE don´t answer with expanded-universe comments, Lucas already said it will be an "original story") also, I don´t think C3PO will be CGI, maybe r2d2 will be a little bit (he was that in many scenes in the prequels) & FINALLY!!! I am sooo excited, actually soo excited so I have started reading all the EU novels (never cared about them before) just to have something to do waiting for 2015 !!! :)
ReplyDeleteAfter the pointless cameo in Ep3, lets hope there's an actual point to include chewie this time (The last time with yoda made me crawl....)
ReplyDeleteI reckon it won't really matter if it's mayhew or some other big feller in the suit, not like anyones going to see his face anyway...
I would prefer Mayhew playing him, with his eyes & bodylanguage, there is much expression there & if Mayhew has a bad knee, so could old Chewie :D he is over 100 years old...
DeleteI also hope for more than a cameo as in ep.3 ,There was not enough Chewie & Darth Vader in armour
Chewie was over 200 years old in ANH, so he would be nearing 300 by the time of the new movies. Bad knees would be fine for older Chewie, but I think at this point Peter Mayhew can't really walk. That wouldn't work for the movies; here's hoping he can get back on his feet in time to play the role. Chewie without Peter is unacceptable.
DeleteIf the new movie takes place 30 yrs after RotJ I think Chewie would be dead.
ReplyDeleteWookies live over 400 standard years
DeleteWookies will be in it, but Peter will not play chewie....There are other 7 foot actor younger and fitter for the role
ReplyDeleteWookies will be in it, but Peter will not play chewie....There are other 7 foot actor younger and fitter for the role
ReplyDelete