“Peter Mayhew was a kind and gentle man, possessed of great dignity and noble character,” Ford said of the actor in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. “These aspects of his own personality, plus his wit and grace, he brought to Chewbacca. We were partners in film and friends in life for over 30 years and I loved him. He invested his soul in the character and brought great pleasure to the Star Wars audience.”
Ford’s Han Solo and Mayhew’s Chewbacca co-piloted the Millennium Falcon in four Star Wars films: 1977’s A New Hope, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, 1983’s The Return of the Jedi and 2015’s The Force Awakens, a film where the 7’3″ Mayhew “fought his way back from being wheelchair-bound to stand tall and portray Chewbacca once more,” Mayhew’s family said in a statement announcing his death.
Ford continued, “Chewbacca was an important part of the success of the films we made together. He knew how important the fans of the franchise were to its continued success and he was devoted to them. I and millions of others will never forget Peter and what he gave us all. My thoughts are with his dear wife Angie and his children. Rest easy, my dear friend…”
Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement on the Star Wars website, “Since 1976, Peter’s iconic portrayal of the loyal, lovable Chewbacca has been absolutely integral to the character’s success, and to the Star Wars saga itself. When I first met Peter during The Force Awakens, I was immediately impressed by his kind and gentle nature. Peter was brilliantly able to express his personality through his skillful use of gesture, posture, and eyes. We all love Chewie, and have Peter to thank for that enduring memory.”
Meghan Markle is reportedly due to have her royal baby at the end of April or the beginning of May. So how should the Duchess of Sussex be preparing for her first delivery? Fox News’ Dr. Manny Alvarez sits down with a physical therapist to discuss what moves and birthing positions could be helpful to the royal soon-to-be mom.
Despite what you may have heard, Meghan Markle didn't secretly give birth to her first child with husband Prince Harry.
Once again, Buckingham Palace had to intervene after fans illustrated bizarre stories surrounding the royal couple. On Thursday, a palace official confirmed to E! News that the pair's baby "hasn't been born yet" — another rare statement the palace has made on behalf of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in recent months.
Rumors swirled after fans discovered Prince Harry was planning a trip to the Netherlands on May 8 and May 9, though Markle is expected to give birth any day now.
Buckingham Palace also denied any speculation that officials created pages for Markle and Prince Harry's baby after royal enthusiasts began testing various baby names in the website's search bar.
“A large number of search term redirects were set up some time ago on royal.uk. This was in order to improve user experience," the palace told ET on Thursday.
Unlike, Prince William and Kate Middleton, Markle and Prince Harry want to avoid the cameras as they welcome baby No. 1. After each delivery, Middleton and Prince William posed and waved with their newborn outside of London's famous Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital.
”Their Royal Highnesses have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private. The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family," the palace said in a statement earlier this month.
The royal couple hasn't dropped too many hints about their baby, though Prince Harry previously admitted he's hoping for a girl.
"I hope it's a girl!" a woman in the crowd shouted out during an event for the Invictus Games in Sydney, Australia back in October.
Chuckling, Prince Harry replied, "So do I!"
When the baby is born it will become seventh in line to the British throne — one step behind his or her father, Prince Harry, who is sixth in line.
The newborn’s uncle, Prince Andrew will be bumped down to the eighth slot. His daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, would be ninth and tenth, respectively.
Fox News' Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.
Now Jeff Fowler, the movie's director, is saying the team is actually going to redesign the character in light of all of the feedback.
"Thank you for the support. And the criticism," Fowler tweeted Thursday afternoon. "The message is loud and clear... you aren't happy with the design & you want changes. It's going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be..."
Fowler ended his tweet with the admittedly clever tag "#gottafixitfast."
CNN has reached out to Paramount to confirm the announcement.
Among the many, many teeth jokes following the trailer's release, a few artists mocked up re-designs that they thought better represented the original Sonic's cartoonish proportions and velocity-hungry eyes.
Now the question is, can Paramount Animation re-do an entire movie in a few months' time? "Sonic the Hedgehog" is slated to hit theaters November 8th, which seems like a long way away. But CGI animation is hard work. In Fowler's words, it looks like they're gonna have to fix it fast.
"Star Wars" fans are mourning the loss of Peter Mayhew, the actor best known for playing the beloved Chewbacca in the iconic film series.
Here's what else we're watching today.
'He lied to Congress'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., did not mince words Thursday about her views on Attorney General William Barr's testimony before Congress last month.
"The attorney general of the United States of America was not telling the truth to the Congress of the United States. That's a crime," Pelosi told reporters Thursday.
She was referring to testimony Barr gave to Congress in April in which he denied knowledge of the Mueller team's concerns.
"Nobody is above the law — not the president of the United States, not the attorney general," Pelosi added.
'Run, hide, fight' mantra put into practice during shooting at UNC Charlotte
When reports of a shooter spread on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Tuesday, the college's emergency officials blasted out a stark, but increasingly familiar message: "Run, hide, fight."
His actions "took the assailant off his feet," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said. "But for his work, the assailant may not have been disarmed. Unfortunately, he gave his life in the process, but his sacrifice saved lives."
Peter Mayhew, who roared inarticulately yet somehow understandably as Chewbacca for generations of "Star Wars" fans, has died at age 74.
Mayhew towered — literally at over 7 feet tall — as the 200-year-old Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk who co-piloted Han Solo's Millennium Falcon.
Tributes poured in for the man who was hailed as both a gifted actor and a gentle giant.
"We all love Chewie, and have Peter to thank for that enduring memory," said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, the Disney-owned studio behind "Star Wars."
May 3, 201901:40
Designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization? Bad idea, experts say.
White House officials are weighing whether to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization — a move experts warn would make the United States less safe and end up victimizing American Muslims to curry favor with authoritarian allies.
"A real concern here is this designation is also a smokescreen to essentially attack the American Muslim community through guilt by association," one expert said.
The Week in Pictures
Sumo wrestlers hold crying babies during the Naki Sumo Baby Crying contest in Tokyo on Sunday.Tomohiro Ohsumi / Getty Images
See more of the most remarkable images from around the world during the last week here.
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THINK about it
If William Barr continues to defy subpoenas, Watergate could offer House Democrats several options, Michael Conway, counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee in 1974, writes in an opinion piece.
The people behind "Game of Thrones" have only three more chances to set the internet ablaze with wild fan theories, feverish predictions, rampant speculation and a Citadel's worth of memes before the series wraps on May 19.
The couple walked a yellow carpet Thursday for the premiere of Reynolds' film, "Pokémon Detective Pikachu," but it was Lively's yellow dress -- and what appeared to be a baby bump -- that made big news.
Lively also was photographed placing a hand atop her belly, though the couple has not confirmed a pregnancy.
This would be Lively and Reynolds' third child. They have two daughters: 4-year-old James and 2-year-old Inez.
Lively revealed her first pregnancy in 2014 in a similar fashion, with a picture of the actress cradling what appeared to be a baby bump but no explicit announcement.
Since getting married in 2012, the couple has been vocal about wanting a big family.
Reynolds told Details magazine in 2013 that they "both come from big families -- my parents did four, Blake's did five. A lot of people say it's crazy, but we'll only know when we're there, you know? We'll walk through that fire pretty happily, I think."
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