There’s a good chance Chewbacca attached himself to a young Han Solo for fear that the kid would get himself killed without the Wookie’s help. In the upcoming Star Wars Han Solo standalone film, Han (Alden Ehrenreich) will be younger than fans have ever seen him onscreen — but Chewbacca will be pushing 200 years.
Recently tapped Han Solo director Ron Howard tweeted a behind-the-scenes photo of some crew members and Chewbacca actor Joonas Suotamo in full Wookie glory checking out footage. “#Chewie checking the shot,” Howard wrote with the picture. And while Suotamo has taken over the Chewie mantle from original actor Peter Mayhew, a younger actor doesn’t take away the fact that Chewie is pretty damn old by human standards.
In Star Wars time, Chewbacca was supposedly born about 200 years BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), making him 200 years old in Star Wars: A New Hope. And, chronologically, Chewie was first introduced in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith when he was about 181 years old. As the Han Solo movie takes place about 10 years before A New Hope, that would make Chewie 190 the next time fans see him alongside Han on screen.
But, while Chewbacca might not be young in the Han Solo standalone, he’ll definitely be as yung (sorry) as ever.
The Han Solo standalone film is expected to premiere in theaters on May 25, 2018.
