Tag: chewbacca

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Does Bob Iger’s selfie give us our first look at Episode VII’s Chewbacca costume?

iger-chewie

We know Peter Mayhew is in, and that is a very good, dare I say, screen-ready Chewbacca… Though it was Alan Horn, not Bob Iger, that we know for sure would be in London around this time. But if this was a (new?) theme park Chewie, wouldn’t they have someone in it? And why would they post it on the official Star Wars Instagram instead of a Parks one? So yes, it’s not too much of a stretch to believe this is the Episode VII Chewbacca costume!

Noteworthy: StarWars.com’s Matt Martin says “The image was supplied to is without much context. No idea where/when it was taken.” And the official (well, verified) @StarWarsUK account says it is from Episode VII, but Matt says it was only speculation on their part. Curious.

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Big Moon Rising: Why I don’t mind if the Star Wars sequels mean the end of the Expanded Universe

The Death of Chewbacca

I’ve been a Star Wars fan since I was barely 13, and became an Expanded Universe fan only days later. My entire experience of falling in love with Star Wars was prompted and is because of the Expanded Universe; I ‘first’ saw the movies on VHS over Christmas break in 1991. And we wouldn’t have even had those copies in the house if not for the release of Heir to the Empire in the spring of that year.

I owe my entire fandom to Heir to the Empire and the Thrawn trilogy. The Expanded Universe, which was pretty much all there was back in those days, formed the nucleus of my fandom. They hooked me, and they hooked me well enough that I sit here, 22 years later, running a fairly popular blog devoted to the franchise, with those same worn copies of Heir, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command not four feet away.

I love the Expanded Universe. It’s a weird kind of love that you get with this sort of fandom; I kept with it through some of the absolute worst fiction I have ever read, and many books that could I barely bring myself to call mediocre and, yes, even those rare gems that make it all worth it.

But I’m also okay with letting it go.

Continue reading “Big Moon Rising: Why I don’t mind if the Star Wars sequels mean the end of the Expanded Universe”

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Report: Peter Mayhew back as Chewbacca for Episode VII

SWGTCC's Chewbacca, as found via the WookAs we all guessed after that tweet two weeks ago, The Hollywood Reporter is now saying that Peter Mayhew will return as Chewbacca in Episode VII.

Mayhew last donned the Chewbacca suit in Revenge of the Sith, and many speculated he’d be returning after he recovered from knee surgery last year.

The Hollywood Reporter makes this a much stronger report, but we only consider information confirmed if it’s openly from Lucasfilm/Disney or appears on StarWars.com.

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Roundup: No New Mexico for Episode VII; 1313 might still rise from the ashes of LucasArts

Las CrucesReport. The Albuquerque Journal’s ReelNM blog says the the reports of Episode VII filming in Mexico are false. “New Mexico was never on the list for the film,” their source says. The New Mexico rumor started by a local film blog, with Latino Review narrowing the location down to Las Cruces.

Gaming. IGN unleashed a bunch of stuff on 1313, the video game that may or may not have been canceled in the post-Disney shakeup. A source tells TFN to lean heavily on the ‘may not.’

Alumni. “I intend to pursue the role of Chewbacca for Episode VII,” Peter Mayhew says in relation to the Wookiee casting.

Hints This isn’t the first we’ve heard about October being the month that Lucasfilm will finally start announcing things, but, y’know, pencil it in. Meanwhile, Bob Iger is hinting that Disney could create specialized content for “new platforms.” Sound familiar?

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Roundup: Getting ready for May the 4th

emperorUSA Today has done a handful of stories celebrating May the 4th and previewing the 30th anniversary of Return of the Jedi on the 25th. They talked to Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Jeremy Bulloch and blogger Whitney Matheson got a visit from Chewbacca. And on that note, they want your best Chewbacca impression.

Back to ROTJ, Jalopnik has a peice on how they filmed the speeder chase.

Need to convert a friend? Amazon has the Original and Prequel trilogy box sets (but not the saga?) slightly more on sale than usual. And hey, you can alleviate at least some of your Episode VII fears with a discount on J.J.’s Star Trek, too!

And you can save 50% on a subscription to the Star Wars Insider tomorrow as well by using the promo code MAY4TW.

Events. In addition to Entertainment Weekly’s ROTJ screening and the Toledo Mud Hens, Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando will be celebrating, and Change.org is hosting a Star Wars screening in San Francisco.

Still not sure what you’re doing? Find a local May the 4th event on StarWars.com.