Peter Mayhew Expected To Shoot More Star Wars Movies A Few Years After Jedi's Release

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Peter Mayhew is the man responsible for bringing Chewbacca to life in the original "Star Wars" trilogy. Before one could just CGI any creature one could dream of, George Lucas had to find a person who could actually embody the hulking Wookiee. Mayhew made it work, and he's a big part of what made those movies such a success. But after 1983's "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi" closed the door on those films, the "Star Wars" property left the big screen for years. Mayhew, however, had expected that he'd be back as Chewie sooner rather than later.

In the March 1985 issue of Starlog, just a couple of years after "Return of the Jedi" hit theaters, Mayhew revealed that Lucas was already planning more movies. Lucas eventually returned to a galaxy far, far away with "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" in 1999, kicking off the prequel trilogy and a whole new era for the franchise. All the same, Mayhew had expected things to play out much differently. Here's what he told Starlog at the time:

"When we were on 'Jedi,' I said to George, 'What about some more?' He said, 'There will be more, but considering there are about 20 main characters on 'Jedi,' it isn't going to be easy. We have to sort out storylines, production, and everything else.' He also said that there were other things he wanted to do. Whatever happens, there will be a ready-made market in two or three years for 'Star Wars' films."

Famously, the first "Star Wars" movie was ultimately given the subtitle "Episode IV — A New Hope." That wasn't the case when it first arrived in 1977, but the whole "Episode IV" bit always implied that there were stories before and perhaps stories after.

Mayhew's belief that the "Star Wars" movies would return in just a few years wasn't unfounded. It merely took Lucas a lot longer to get around to them than the actor was led to believe. Before that, though, Lucas famously made the "Star Wars Special Editions" in 1997, which brought the original trilogy back to theaters, albeit with many changes, some more controversial than others. But they were hugely successful at the box office, and that primed the world for the prequel trilogy.

Mayhew had to wait his turn though, as Chewbacca didn't make an appearance until 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," which brought the prequel trilogy to a close. After that, he would once again enter a long waiting period before being asked to suit up once more as Chewie for 2015's "Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens," which marked a massive moment in pop culture history. When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, it also brought the "Star Wars" movie series back from the dead with the promise that it would be here for good.

Mayhew's return as Chewbacca alongside Harrison Ford's Han Solo is one of the key reasons that movie resonated so much. "Chewie, we're home" is still capable of making full-blown adults cry. In addition, that film also saw Mayhew sort of pass the torch to Joonas Suotamo, who's taken over playing Chewbacca ever since.

You can grab "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi" on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD on Amazon.