A new Star Wars: Episode VII casting call has suggested that not only will beloved Chewbacca make the return to the sequel, but that he’ll be recast in the process.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that beloved character Chewbacca, best friend of Han Solo, will make the return to Star Wars: Episode VII. There’s no reason to suggest that Han Solo and Chewbacca would have a falling out between Return of the Jedi and the upcoming film, and Wookiees have a life span of over 400 years. (This assumes that Abrams and co. will borrow this information from the expanded universe, but while they are not borrowing specific plot points, we’d expect them to borrow specific elements like this that aren’t tied to plot.)
Found by Den of Geek, this casting call from “Walt Disney Pictures/LucasFilm/Bad Robot” is for “UNTITLED STUDIO FEATURE,” but it’s obviously Star Wars: Episode VII:
Male, 7 ft to 7.3 ft tall with a slim/thin build and upright posture. Not too worked out or too ‘thick set’ especially in the shoulders. Broad facial features would be a bonus.
That description almost certainly sounds like a description for a Wookiee, though it’s been theorized that there’s a chance it could be a Gungan. (Spoiler alert: Abrams wants nothing to do with the prequels. It won’t be a Gungan.)
Original Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew has been dealing with health issues lately, so it makes sense that Chewbacca would need to be recast. With the look of Wookiees, this shouldn’t be an issue.