When it became clear that the wonderful Peter Mayhew would be unable to continue playing the iconic Wookiee, Chewbacca, due to declining health in his later years, Lucasfilm drafted in Joonas Suotamo, a Finnish basketball player standing at almost 7ft tall, to learn from Mayhew with designs on replacing him in the long term. As a more athletic figure, he was able to give Chewbacca a new lease on life, while continuing to embody the Wookiee with the loving personality fans had come to love. But now, he's taking on a new role in the upcoming Disney+ series, The Acolyte in which he gets to do something not yet seen — wield a lightsaber.
Speaking with Collider at Star Wars Celebration in London, where new footage from The Acolyte was showcased to fans, it was announced that Suotamo would be playing the first Wookiee Jedi Master — a role that came as a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one for Suotamo.
"Well, my agent asked me, 'Would you be willing to play another Wookiee?' I said, 'Yeah!' When I learned that it was possibly going to be a Jedi Wookiee, a Wookiee Jedi, I was so excited. I’ve always loved the Jedi, I didn’t know I was going to get a chance of playing one, this opportunity with Leslye Headland’s genius direction. I’m just so grateful, I’m so grateful to be a part of this because this new era we’re delving into.
My favorite part is there’s going to be lots of Jedi around. And that was my biggest pull into the prequel movies when I was a kid. I knew there was going to be Jedi around, and I can’t wait to see the finished shot. I can’t wait to share it with the world."
Suotamo on the Tone of The Acolyte
When asked what had surprised him about the tone and themes of The Acolyte compared to the Star Wars films and shows that came before it, Suotamo explained: "This is like a mystery thriller type of thing. So there are a lot of little things that differentiate the tone of this series. That’s the mystery, the exciting part of it. That’s going to be very interesting when it unfolds to people. I think they’re going to enjoy it."
The Acolyte will star Suotamo, Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-Jae, Carrie-Ann Moss, Jodie Turner-Smith, and more, will be set during the era of the High Republic, and is set to debut on Disney+ in 2024.