It just wouldn’t be right if Chewbacca was played by anyone other than Peter Mayhew, and The Hollywood Reporter says he is in fact going to be reprising his role as the furriest sidekick in the Star Wars universe. THR, which also confirmed this past weekend that production is already underway on Star Wars: Episode VII, confirmed the rumors that Mayhew would be back as the most famous Wookie in the world for the new Star Wars films.
J.J. Abrams is directing from a script he wrote with Lawrence Kasdan. Disney and Lucasfilm have set a December 18, 2015 release date for the return of the Star Wars franchise in theaters.
Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed in March that the new Star Wars film will be set 30 years after the events of Episode VI. R2-D2 is returning, and the lead characters will be played by new actors to the Star Wars universe.
