--- description: Chewbacca originator Peter Mayhew will be one of several original cast members to return in the J.J. Abrams–directed "Star Wars Episode VII" title: 'Star Wars': Peter Mayhew to Return as Chewbacca in 'Episode VII' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt255a9f34e8680037/6986896613c79f38271917a1/chewbacca.png?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Peter Mayhew to Return as Chewbacca in _Star Wars_ Sequel by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 7, 2014 9:58 PM CUT  Lucasfilm by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 7, 2014 9:58 PM CUT Peter Mayhew will play Chewbacca in _Episode VII_, according to the [_Hollywood Reporter_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-episode-vii-adds-694151 "undefined"). The 69-year-old actor is set to return to his role as the iconic Wookie in the _Star Wars_ sequel, which will hit theaters in December 2015. Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn announced on April 2 that filming for the project had already begun, although neither Disney nor Lucasfilm has disclosed many details on the production other than saying that many of the cast members have already been selected. Mayhew, who played Chewbacca starting in _Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope_ in 1977, is just one of the original cast members who will reportedly be returning in the J.J. Abrams film. Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher will also reportedly return. _Episode VII_ will reportedly be set 30 years after the 1983 film _Return of the Jedi_. \[[_The Hollywood Reporter_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-episode-vii-adds-694151 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/52711/star-wars-episode-vii-chewbacca-peter-mayhew/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/52711/star-wars-episode-vii-chewbacca-peter-mayhew/"},"headline":"Peter Mayhew to Return as Chewbacca in Star Wars Sequel","datePublished":"2014-04-07T21:58:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:11:00.600Z","description":"The \"Chewy\" originator, 69-year-old Peter Mayhew, will be one of several original cast members to return in the J.J. Abrams–directed Star Wars Episode VII, slated for release in December 2015. Others include Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill","url":"https://time.com/52711/star-wars-episode-vii-chewbacca-peter-mayhew/","keywords":["movies","Star Wars topic","Disney","film"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt255a9f34e8680037/6986896613c79f38271917a1/chewbacca.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt255a9f34e8680037/6986896613c79f38271917a1/chewbacca.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Chewbacca","caption":"","creditText":"Lucasfilm","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/52711/star-wars-episode-vii-chewbacca-peter-mayhew/","name":"Peter Mayhew to Return as Chewbacca in Star Wars Sequel"}}]}] ```