Bleeding Cool News is reporting a cast rumour from the UK that the Star Wars production is on the hunt for the following sort of person:
Tall Man (Male, 21 – 60) 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.
Well, we all know who fits that description.
Wookiees fit that description. Well, there are plenty of characters in Star Wars that fit that description, but Wookiees are the first that come to mind for everyone.
And there’s one Wookiee in particular everyone is anxious to see (or not anxious, depending on your feelings about the sanctity of the Expanded Universe): Chewbacca.
I have a hunch, though. I’ve not heard any of this and have zero information, this is just a potential guess. I’m disclaiming the hell out of my wild speculation. But suppose, just suppose, this casting call is for Chewie.
But what if it’s not a sure thing?
What if Peter Mayhew is indeed still in the running for the part and this is a back up?
Here’s the thing: Peter Mayhew just had surgery on his knees so he’d be able to walk again. He ran a Kickstarter to document the whole process and help raise funds for the procedure. If I’m a documentary filmmaker (and I am), a documentary about Peter Mayhew getting knee surgery isn’t exactly fodder for a complete film. Sure, you’d delve into some of his behind the scenes stories and what not, but it’s not the most compelling. But I’m thinking what about movies like New York Doll? Where the aging entertainer has to get himself back together to get back in the saddle?
What if (and this is WILD SPECULATION on my part) Lucasfilm told Peter Mayhew, “If you can walk you can have the part.”
If you look at the timing of his surgery and his rehabilitiation, the timing lines up with shooting.
But what if something goes wrong? What if he can’t do it?
Then Lucasfilm needs a back up plan. Maybe they don’t want a back up plan. They want Peter. Peter’s a great guy and IS Chewbacca. But the movie has to be made.
Just think about it.
Or, this tall man could be playing anyone or anything. But if I were a documentary filmmaker and was documenting everything from the get go, what better ending to a documentary could there be than Peter back in the costume? And maybe he was tipped off. That’s the sort of stuff that could be filmed for a documentary already. And the filmmaker is just sitting on it, keeping things quiet.
Maybe it’s crazy.
Maybe it’s not.
Only time will tell with all this Star Wars: Episode VII business.