Millions Sent Back To Malaysia In Wolf Of Wall Street Case

Millions Sent Back To Malaysia In Wolf Of Wall Street Case

With one of the biggest financial scandals of all time linked to the funding of its production, The Wolf of Wall Street has come back into the public eye. As the trial against former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is proceeding in court, another part of the investigation into Red Granite’s alleged impropriety has proceeded, because Malaysia has been given several million dollars back from its raided 1MDB fund.

The United States government has returned $57 million to the Malaysian government, thanks to production company Red Granite paying $60 million in a recent settlement. The gap in funds returned, amounting to around $3 million, was due to the FBI and Department of Justice recovering funds for their investigative efforts.

While that’s a drop in the bucket when compared to the $4.5 billion that was taken from Malaysia’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund, it’s a start to recovering the money that was funneled into Najib Razak’s high living lifestyle, which included funding fancy parties, large ticket purchases of artwork and luxury properties.

Razak also invested in the funding of films like The Wolf of Wall Street, Dumb and Dumber To and Daddy’s Home. Najib Razak was able to do so, courtesy of his step son Riza Aziz, who was one of the founders of the Red Granite company. The scandal was so huge that it's taken almost five years to work through the legal proceedings, and now it feels like justice is finally starting to be served.

The Hollywood Reporter also mentioned in its reporting on this recent development that $322 million has been recovered so far, with another $139 million in the process of being returned back to Malaysia’s government. While it didn’t take too long after the production of The Wolf of Wall Street and Dumb and Dumber To to start the investigation into Red Granite’s financing practices, we’re now finally seeing the concrete results of those efforts being paid back to the people of Malaysia.

Tommy Thomas, Malaysia’s attorney general, is confident that continuing efforts to recover the improperly channeled 1MDB funds will yield more payouts into the country’s investment fund. But for the time being, the $322 million recovered is the start of those promised recoveries.

Even Jordan Belfort himself couldn’t help but feel that The Wolf of Wall Street was being made with illicitly-obtained money, and if that’s not a sign of this entire enterprise being worth the effort, then we don’t know what is. Naturally, we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for any further developments in terms of the 1MDB funds being returned, and should any other updates come through on the matter, we’ll report back with the findings here at CinemaBlend.

The Wolf of Wall Street is currently available on home video and streaming platforms.

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Why Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Needs To Work As A Standalone Movie, According To J.J. Abrams

Why Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Needs To Work As A Standalone Movie, According To J.J. Abrams

The past few years have been very exciting for Star Wars fans, as new and exciting projects have been released in theaters. The galaxy far, far away only continues to grow, including standalone films and an upcoming live-action TV series. But all eyes are currently on the main franchise, as J.J. Abrams' The Rise of Skywalker will conclude the current trilogy, as well as the nine movie narrative that started with A New Hope.

Episode IX will end the Skywalker Saga forever, so there is a ton of pressure regarding what J.J. Abrams will include in the upcoming blockbuster. But while The Rise of Skywalker is the final installment in a long running franchise, the director also took care to craft an independent story that stands on its own. As he recently explained at Star Wars Celebration:

Also, this movie, in addition to being the end of three trilogies, also needs to work as its own movie. That’s been part of the fun of it, part of the challenge of it. This movie is about this new generation and what they’ve inherited: the light and the dark. And asking the question as they face the greatest evil: Are they prepared? Are they ready? It’s been really incredible to look at this thing George has created and bring it to a close in this way.

J.J. Abrams may understand the pressure of wrapping up the Star Wars franchise as we know it, but he also wanted to create a contained, satisfying movie. That balance is going to be important going into The Rise of Skywalker, so it's good to see that Abrams is cognizant of it all.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker might be the final movie in a decades spanning franchise, but it's also going to be focused on the trio of new characters that J.J. Abrams created for The Force Awakens. So while Leia, Lando, and Luke will factor into the story, smart money says the primary focus will be on the new class, and their continued battle against The First Order.

During the same conversation at Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy spoke to the challenge of wrapping up the entire franchise so far, ending a narrative that was started decades ago when A New Hope premiered in 1977. As Kennedy put it,

What’s really fascinating is it’s over 40 years. So, the context George is working with is forty years later. To keep this relevant and meaningful to the characters and to the people experiencing this story, it has to feel like it’s of its time. I think that what we’ve done is taken to heart everything that inspired George and then I think the inspiration J.J. has brought to this has given it even more depth.

It looks like everyone involved in The Rise of Skywalker understood the dual role the film had to play. Yes, the Skywalker Saga must be given an appropriate ending, but the movie also has to function as a standalone film, with its own themes and story. The pressure is on, so we'll just have to wait and see what J.J. Abrams churns out with his second foray into the beloved space opera.

All will be revealed when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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James Gunn Has Returned To Direct Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

James Gunn Has Returned To Direct Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Well, folks, it happened. Last summer, one of the biggest news in the movie-sphere was how James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 due to controversial social media posts he’d made over a decade ago resurfacing. However, today it’s been announced that Gunn has been reinstated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and will return to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

You’ll recall that last August, approximately a month after James Gunn was let go from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it was reported that Disney had not changed its mind and would not rehire him. Well, according to Deadline, Gunn has returned to helm the threequel, and apparently this was decided months ago among the respective Disney and Marvel Studios leadership teams. Walt Disney Studios president Alan Horn reportedly met with Gunn several times and, persuaded by Gunn’s public apology and handling of the matter afterwards, decided to bring him back into the fold.

Now some of you may be asking, “Wait, what about Suicide Squad 2, a.k.a. The Suicide Squad?” After all, several months after James Gunn was let go from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he hopped aboard the DC train to write and direct the next movie starring Task Force X, which is said to be less of a direct sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad and more of a relaunch of the property. Well, Gunn signing on to The Suicide Squad complicated Marvel’s plans to bring him back for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but as things stand now, Gunn will work on The Suicide Squad first, and once it’s finished, then he’ll turn his attention to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. So Gunn gets to wrap up his Guardians trilogy as originally intended and leave his stamp on another superhero franchise.

While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was initially believed to be one of the first Phase 4 movies to be released, but James Gunn’s firing last year placed the project on indefinite hold. Since The Suicide Squad is set for release on August 6, 2021, that means Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will probably arrive a year or two later at the very least, so we’re still in for a long wait for it to arrive. Nevertheless, this is a major turn of events following months of reports, and while Marvel was already planning on using James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 script regardless of who direct the movie, now Gunn gets to oversee the production just like he did two times before.

No plot details for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have been revealed yet, although the story is reportedly quite the tear-jerker. Regardless, before we get to that adventure, we have to see what goes down next month in Avengers: Endgame. Avengers: Infinity War saw all the Guardians except for Rocket Raccoon and Nebula being turned to dust by Thanos, and while Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff are all confirmed to be appearing in Endgame (hopefully Vin Diesel will provide some Groot vocals as well), we don’t know with absolute certainty yet which of their characters will be brought back to life and which will appear in flashbacks, hallucinations etc.

Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s development, but for now, look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what else is coming down the MCU pipeline.

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The Lion King Fans Aren't Sold On The New Scar After First Look

The Lion King Fans Aren't Sold On The New Scar After First Look

This morning brought Disney fans something they’ve been waiting for: the first full trailer for the upcoming Lion King. While a first look at the movie, featuring a shot-for-shot reenactment of the iconic “Circle of Life” opening scene and James Earl Jones return to the role of Mufasa, came out late last year, it left many wanting to see and hear more from the new additions to the Disney classic. The latest footage introduced fans to a couple notes of Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen's Timon and Pumbaa, a few frames of Nala, and most importantly, Chiwetel Ejiofor taking command of the movie’s notorious villain, Scar.

However, many fans may have struggled to recognize The Lion King baddie due to his new look. Once it’s made clear who Scar is when he stands in front of his hyena minions and tells young Simba to never return to Pride Rock, some found themselves disappointed in this realistic take on Scar, Naturally took to Twitter to share their thoughts. Take a look:

When you look at the animated and “live-action” Scars side by side, you can definitely tell there were some creative liberties taken with the latter that separates him from the green-eyed, sassy villain. The new Scar looks looks like a realistic lion who would be the brother of Mufasa, as he has the same light-colored mane. Though he nonetheless retains a gritty look, shown through the cut in his left ear and the iconic, though less prominent scar down his eye.

One criticism many fans voiced is that Scar just simply doesn’t look like his animated character. While some noted that the villain’s look in the original film wouldn’t be found in the wild, this Twitter user proved otherwise. Check it:

There you have it! Disney could have easily made a little more effort to meet fans in the middle and give Scar a black mane as they remember him to have, even if the green and yellow eyes were off the table. That’s not all the qualms they have with his look though. @_Zeets felt like the studio straight up has done the character wrong. In his words:

As he hilariously comments, Scar wasn’t characterized through his look as a more menacing as this scrawny version of him portrays him as. The lion had a commanding presence that brought about fear in the eyes of much of our childhoods. I feel like Simba could totally take this Scar.

There is another matter at hand here with the differences between the animated and realistic Scars that is very much due to the medium being used to recreate the iconic baddie. Here’s what @alip1118 contributed to the discussion:

There’s just something magical about that hand-drawn animation that will always be close to the hearts of Disney fans, and the CGI technology the new Lion King movie is using may take some of that away with their realistic representations. Besides that, the voice work of Jeremy Iron from the '90s is close to a lot of hearts as well, per this comment:

There’s still a lot to be seen from The Lion King then has already been seen in this first look. Perhaps the movie is trying to set the character apart from the original to deter comparisons to the original, and he may have a different character arc then the one we know already. So far, this Lion King looks like it’s borrowing a lot from the animated version visually and with much of the dialogue we’ve seen but the remake may be more than a nostalgia fest.

The Lion King comes to theaters 100 days from now on July 19 (as director Jon Favreau noted today). The epic is sure to make tons of money for the studio, which has become known for reimagining its beloved animated classics into blockbusters.

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Paul Rudd And 10 Other Marvel And DC Stars Who Show 50 Is The New 25

Paul Rudd And 10 Other Marvel And DC Stars Who Show 50 Is The New 25

Believe it or not, Paul Rudd is turning 50 this Saturday, April 6. And Robert Downey Jr. is turning 54 on Thursday, April 4. Fifty used to be considered the start of the golden years -- aka getting "old" -- but now it's the start of a golden age for action heroes. Marvel and DC stars are the biggest superheroes in our universe, and many of the lead stars are still saving the world into their 50s and well beyond. Rudd may still look the same age he was when he made Clueless but Marvel's Ant-Man now part of that exclusive 50-plus club.

There are so many amazing active action stars north of 50 -- Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Harrison Ford, Linda Hamilton, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis (plus most of the other Expendables) -- it would take forever to list them all. That's a great problem to have in a world still so obsessed with youth. But this list just focuses on 10 past or present Marvel/DC stars who, like Paul Rudd, make turning 50 look like just the start of a superhero's journey.

Robert Downey Jr., 54, Marvel's Iron Man

In 2019, it doesn't get much cooler than Robert Downey Jr., giving hope to everyone who has yet to reach their mid-50s. RDJ is considered the godfather of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which started with the 2008 film Iron Man. That was more than 10 years ago, when RDJ was a young lad in his early 40s. Now that he's 54 (well, 53 until tomorrow, 4/4/19), he's still the lead voice of the MCU heading into Avengers: Endgame (open April 26). Tony Stark is one of the heroes who will do "whatever it takes" to change Thanos' Decimation from Avengers: Infinity War. RDJ pulled a career 180 thanks to Marvel, and now he's a very well paid superhero and a fan favorite around the world. Ask the mid-1990s if they ever saw THAT coming.

Halle Berry, 52, Marvel's X-Men, DC's Catwoman

Halle Berry joined Marvel's X-Men in 2000 and she hasn't really aged a day, unless it's to look better now. She returned as Storm in X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Back in 2004, she also ventured into the DC world as Catwoman, which was not a huge success anywhere but the Razzie Awards, but that's OK. Along the way she also picked up an Oscar for Monster's Ball, played Jinx in 007's Die Another Day, and recently joined the Kingsman franchise for The Golden Circle. She is now gearing up for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (open May 17) after cold calling director Chad Stahelski and saying she wanted to be in the movie. Gimme a role. So they did, and she not only plays a badass assassin, she has her own two dogs who kick ass as her sidekicks. She showed off her amazing fight training for the role, including training the dogs. As she wrote after wrapping John Wick 3, "This film reinforces that AGE is nothing but an insignificant number!" The main star of that franchise would probably agree (see below).

Josh Brolin, 51, Marvel's Thanos, Marvel's Cable

Josh Brolin was 2018's unexpected sex symbol as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. I can't say I get the whole "daddy" thing, but good for Josh Brolin for still getting it into his 50s, even as a giant purple villain. Brolin has two active Marvel roles, and both are muscled-up beasts. He had an intense diet and exercise routine to play Cable in Deadpool 2, which came out last year when he was freshly 50. Thanos is the man to beat in Avengers: Endgame, which is already the biggest movie of 2019. And Brolin is currently filming a different kind of action movie in Dune, posting a shirtless photo to reveal his work as a weapons master. The guy looks like he'd kick your ass with a glance, and it's especially impressive knowing he's also the same guy from The Goonies. He wasn't even 20 when he made that movie -- his first -- in 1985 and he's at least twice that man today.

Robin Wright, 52, DC's Antiope

A lot of us first got to know Robin Wright as the beautiful object of someone else's affections -- as Buttercup in The Princess Bride in 1987 and as the ill-fated Jenny of 1994's Forrest Gump. Now she's best known for playing ruthless leaders, including Amazon Army General Antiope, Diana Prince's aunt, in DC's Wonder Woman. She'll also be back for the sequel Wonder Woman 1984, which comes out in 2020. Antiope trained Wonder Woman and showed herself to be a tough mentor in the 2017 movie. Wright also led the House of Cards cast and crew through the debacle of Kevin Spacey's exit, and the final season was all about her character, Claire Underwood. It's great to see Robin Wright getting strong leadership roles as she enters her 50s -- proving herself not only still beautiful, but also more powerful than ever in the second half of her century.

Will Smith, 50, DC's Deadshot

Will Smith is one of the many action heroes, like Tom Cruise, who have just kept on doing their usual action roles into their 50s. Why not? If it ain't broke (too badly)... Unlike Cruise, though, Smith has embraced the superhero experience. He joined the DCEU as Deadshot for 2016's Suicide Squad, but before that he played vigilante superhero John Hancock in an original story with Hancock. Smith first shot to fame with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but he got his action credentials going with Bad Boys in 1995, followed by Independence Day and Men in Black. Now it's 2019 and he's currently filming Bad Boys for Life, the third film in the franchise, for release in 2020 when he'll be 51 and co-star Martin Lawrence will be 54. Sadly, he won't be returning as Deadshot for The Suicide Squad. Instead, Idris Elba (46) is taking on the role for James Gunn's movie. But Smith has plenty of other films in the works, including Ang Lee's sci-fi film Gemini Man, and of course we'll see him soon as the new Genie in Aladdin.

Samuel L. Jackson, 70, Marvel's Nick Fury

If 50 is the new 25, Sam Jackson is basically 45 at this point. Scratch that, he's 35 -- half his current age. The guy is everywhere! We would all be so lucky to have his stamina at 30, never mind 70. The man never stops. He's currently Nick Fury, de-aged for Captain Marvel, but back to his modern one-eyed self for the end of Avengers: Infinity War and whatever he does in Avengers: Endgame, not to mention his return for Spider-Man: Far From Home. That just for Marvel, he also had Glass earlier this year, as the title supervillain Mr. Glass, plus John Shaft II in Shaft. He'll also be back for the sequel to The Hitman's Bodyguard. He's a hoot on the press tours of his movies, and while you can never quite trust everything he tells you, he always makes it interesting. He is living his best life, and if there's such a thing as #70Goals, it's this badass motherf*cker.

Keanu Reeves, 54, DC's Constantine

Granted, it's been several years since Keanu Reeves played DC's John Constantine in the 2005 film Constantine, but now that he's 54, Keanu is an even more popular action hero than ever. He's had multiple iconic action roles over the years -- from Speed to The Matrix -- and he's still kicking ass as John Wick. His first John Wick film came out in 2014 and Chapter 2 arrived in 2017. John Wick 3 is coming out this May, and it's meant to be the biggest one yet. Keanu even shoots guns while on horseback on the streets of New York City. And, yeah, that's really him on that horse. Keanu is still so youthful in appearance and action, it's a running joke that he might be immortal. He's even reuniting with his Bill & Ted co-star Alex Winter for Bill & Ted 3, like no time has passed since the '80s.

Hugh Jackman, 50, Marvel's Wolverine

Hugh Jackman actually aged himself up to play Wolverine in Logan. He shot to fame as the character in 2000's X-Men, getting and staying famously ripped through X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: Origins - Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and X-Men: Apocalypse. Wolverine wasn't big on aging and neither is Hugh Jackman, it seems. Ryan Reynolds is desperate to re-team with Wolverine in a future Deadpool movie, and while that may not pan out, I could definitely see the two starring in another action film together. Jackman seems to just be getting started as an action hero -- while also singing/dancing in The Greatest Showman and earning acclaim as a dramatic lead. I wouldn't be shocked if we see him still kicking ass on screen 10 years from now, not looking very different from today.

Nicole Kidman, 51, DC's Atlanna

Nicole Kidman played Arthur Curry's mother in Aquaman, and while Moms don't always get to have badass action scenes, not all moms are this queen. Atlanna got to save the day in one epic scene that was shot in one take. That wasn't her first DC role -- she played Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever, but her job in that one was mostly to fall in love with the hero and be saved. This time, at age 51, she got to be the superhero who saves. She's another star, like Samuel L. Jackson, who appears to have a dozen projects going at any time. She was in The Upside, Destroyer, Boy Erased, and Aquaman last year, with The Godfinch and the Fox News film Fair and Balanced this year -- plus Big Little Lies Season 2 on HBO. From Emmy-award winning roles to billion dollar superhero films, Kidman makes it look pretty easy.

Patrick Stewart, 78, Marvel's Professor X

Patrick Stewart was already 60 by the time he joined Marvel's X-Men in 2000. He was a thespian with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but later in life he found himself the lead of two major franchises -- Star Trek as Jean-Luc Picard, and X-Men as Charles Xavier. He finished his run as Professor X with Logan, but instead of slowing down, he signed on to return as Picard for his own TV show on CBS All Access. William Shatner recently said he couldn't believe Stewart was doing that, saying a TV series is debilitating enough for a 25-year-old -- since you're working 14-18 hours a day -- but to do it in your late 70s? Stewart himself called it "an unexpected but delightful surprise" to find himself "excited and invigorated" to return to the role. He's ready to engage all over again.

The list of action stars still kicking butt well past 50 goes on and on -- from Vin Diesel to Don Cheadle and Mark Ruffalo, the Marvel list alone could fill books. It's inspiring to think that you can have a rough patch in your 30s but be a superhero in your 50s like Robert Downey Jr., or start as a high school girl's rom-com crush in your 20s and then possibly leap up Thanos' butt in your 50s like Paul Rudd. #LifeGoals

Here's to all of these stars and more still saving the day into their 90s, like Marvel's biggest hero, Stan Lee. Excelsior!

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John Travolta Is Bloody And Unrecognizable Filming New Movie

John Travolta Is Bloody And Unrecognizable Filming New Movie

We know John Travolta as a dance move icon for Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and Hairspray, but he's also quite the character actor -- known memorably for Face/Off, Pulp Fiction, American Crime Story, and Gotti. Next up, the actor has another big-screen transformation on the way for suspense-thriller Moose… and it’s quite the sight for a bloody eye. Take a look:

Whoa! What’s happening here? The Instagram post features John Travolta in character for Moose, as the titular character with chopped gray hair and some gory makeup that indicates his eye will certainly take a beating sometime during the film. To cut the tension of Travolta’s look is Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst peeking out from behind the actor.

Fred Durst is the director and co-writer of Moose, and while the musician-turned-filmmaker hasn’t had much luck providing crowd-pleasing movies to audiences in the past, his upcoming project with John Travolta certainly has an interesting premise. Check it out, according to another post on the Moose Instagram:

On the grimey streets of Hollywood, a hyper, celebrity-obsessed man-child feels slighted by his favorite movie star at an autograph convention and embarks on an unhinged quest to get a response from the actor – leading to a home invasion and a VERY long night that changes both men irreparably. John Travolta (Moose), Devon Sawa (Hunter), and Ana Golja (Leah) team up in this violent, pitch black satire of our culture’s obsession with fame, and the social contract between celebrities and their fans in the social media age.

This is kind of exciting, right? John Travolta will be playing a fanatic fan to Devon Sawa’s Hunter Dunbar; Travolta's Moose reverts to some intense stalking of the action hero following some ill feelings after an encounter with him. It looks like things are going to get real bloody, based on this image, and judging by the description of this movie, it could be a crazy ride to go on.

Moose is apparently based on an actual incident from the Limp Bizkit singer's past. Fred Durst has previously directed music videos for his band, commercials, and two films: 2007’s The Education of Charlie Banks with Jesse Eisenberg and 2008’s The Longshots with Ice Cube. Previously, Durst had a cameo in Travolta’s 2005 film Be Cool, but this is a much more involved collaboration.

On Friday, TMZ spoke with John Travolta on Moose, and the actor had some great things to say about the time on the project. In his words:

Maybe my favorite experience I’ve had. He’s so generous and he’s such an artist. And he allowed me to create a character that no one else would allow. It’s really a wild character and I felt very free to do that.

Wow! Does Moose trump his time with Quentin Tarantino? As John Travolta commented, he loved having the space to craft a crazy character with the director and looks to really dig the unique vision he has for the project. Maybe this dark comedy/thriller hybrid will join Travolta’s many iconic roles and potentially signal a long-awaited comeback for the actor?

No word on the exact release date yet, but Bloody Disgusting did just report that Moose -- or The Fanatic, as it may ultimately be called -- was acquired by Amazon and may be released this summer. Stay tuned and check out our 2019 release calendar for your next trip to the movies.

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How Star Wars’ Creature Team Ended Up With Chewbacca’s New Movie Look

How Star Wars’ Creature Team Ended Up With Chewbacca’s New Movie Look

Bringing any Star Wars creature to life on the big screen is a bit of a challenge, but you might think that bringing back legacy characters such as Chewbacca might be a little bit easier thanks to their already being previous work to work off of.

You’d be wrong.

Speaking at Star Wars Celebration, creature designer Neal Scanlan discussed the myriad challenges to bringing Chewbacca back for Disney and Lucasfilm’s new series of Star Wars movies. The way the team ended up with Chewbacca’s new movie look took ideas, plenty of perseverance, and honestly, a whole lot of luck. But don’t take it from me. Here’s what Neal Scanlan revealed.

Finding The Actor

First and foremost, finding an actor who could play Chewbacca was incredibly difficult. You need someone who can embody the character, but also someone who is 7 feet tall to take on the role. There are definitely more 7-foot basketball players out there than working actors. Or, as Scanlan put it, perhaps George Lucas got really lucky when he found Peter Mayhew:

So the first thing about Chewie that we realized was that if you were George Lucas and you created this character called Chewbacca, what you really want is for someone to walk through your door who’s 7 foot plus, has incredibly wideset, beautiful eyes and a very strong jawline. How lucky was that for George when Peter Mayhew walked through the door?

Obviously, Joonas Suotamo (who is allegedly 6’ 11”) was signed on for the role and that particular problem was worked out for the design team. However, there was a bigger issue at the heart of creating Chewbacca—they didn’t have any of the original plans or molds for the character.

Designing Chewbacca’s Look

Neal Scanlan said at Star Wars Celebration 2019 that he and his team were confident they could get Chewbacca’s look close to that of the original trilogy movies, which came out between 1977 and 1983. However, he and his team quickly found out the process was “hopeless” and they were never going to get a fully accurate look for the character.

Then, the team got really lucky. Per Neal Scanlan:

Then almost at the point where we just tried to give up, I had a sculptures working. We were trying to reverse engineer: What does Chewie look like underneath? A colleague of mine walked in, he said, ‘I have something for you.’ I thought he’d probably brought me a can of beer or something. He said, ‘I have an original cast of Chewbacca’s head.’ I was like, ‘You’re kidding me!’ He was like, ‘No, I did a little bit of work experience with Stuart Freeborn and he gave me a cast of Chewie’s head.

So, they went from having a lot of trouble trying to figuring out exactly how to nod to the past to having Chewbacca’s full facial look in the blink of an eye. Scanlan also noted about that particular bit of luck that it was one a great day for himself and his team.

That day was an amazing day for us because it literally allowed us to then go ahead and make Chewie with a likeness knowing that likeness was exactly like what Stuart Freeborn created.

Getting Chewbacca To Look As Furry As Possible

If you are a big fan of Star Wars, you may already know the original costume was knitted for Chewbacca with a combination of yak and rabbit hair for the original trilogy. However, when Neal Scanlan’s team was designing the look they at first felt as if that would be damned near impossible to replicate. Again, it took a little tinkering, but Scanlan and co. finally realized knitting was the only way to go. He said at Star Wars Celebration:

The second thing was the original Chewie suit was knitted by Stuart Freeborn’s wife. She actually knitted it! I said to [my team], ‘This is insane. We can’t knit the suit.’ But actually what we realized was she didn’t knit it because that was the only way they could do it, she knitted it because that was the perfect way to do it. Because [there’s] something about the way a wooly jumper moves and a wooly jumper stretches.

It isn’t easy to get a Chewbacca suit that looks and moves like the original. Neal Scanlan also told audiences that each hair is “placed in and knotted” one at a time. Ultimately, six or seven people were tasked with working on one Chewbacca suit, and even then a suit takes six months to complete. Six! The end result looks stellar, but it is very furry, and actor Joonas Suotamo has previously revealed some days on set it resulted in an unavoidable and uncomfortable temperature rise. Per Suotamo:

On interior sets there might not be any real airflow and the hairs would just trap all the heat to the fur and cause a slow temperature rise. While filming I would perform my bit and we would go again many times – usually this would take from an hour to 2 hours. On scenes requiring 3 hours I would sometimes need to start conserving my energy.

There are always tough puzzles doing creature work. We learned during the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi that there were over 180 creatures created for that movie -- a number of large magnitude. In general, Star Wars movies are large scale productions. The flicks not only create actual, fully formed creatures but often construct sets rather than relying on CGI to make the films come across as realistically as possible.

It's not just Chewbacca that has been fully formed for the new movies. Neal Scanlan also talked more about the sea cows which had to be transported by helicopter to come to life this weekend, so the attention to detail given to this franchise is really unparalleled.

With that in mind, it's not shocking to now know each Chewbacca suit took six months to come together.

Still, if you’re wanting to get into some legit Chewbacca cosplay, you have quite the challenge ahead of you. But if you’re happy to admire Chewie from afar, you can catch the creature designed character back in action when Star Wars Episode IX hits theaters this December. To take a look at what else we know about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, check out CinemaBlend's full guide.

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