#ROGUEONE TRENDS ON TWITTER!

#VERYHAPPY to see 'Rogue One : A Star Wars Story' trending on Twitter today 😲I can't help thinking that Peter Cushing would have very much loved the film too. Personally, I think #ROGUEONE  is THE most beautiful cinematic #StarWars film of the whole series!

 

The #Sideshowtoys figure of #PeterCushing as Grand Moff Tarkin 'Star Wars' (1977) Quite an impressive figure. Apparently, #ForbiddenPlanet in Shaftesbury Avenue, #London has one in their figure display cabinet opposite the checkouts!

 

 

THE GENTLEST OF GENTLMEN : STAR WARS CHEWBACCA PETER MAYHEW DIES AGED 74

VERY SAD NEWS to report the passing of PETER MAYHEW, the actor behind Chewbacca in the Star Wars film series has passed aged 74 . . .

PETER MAYHEW was born on May 19, 1944 in Barnes, London, England and  was working as a hospital attendant at the King's College Hospital in London when film producer Charles H. Schneer saw the above photo, a TALL man! Charles H. Schneer cast him in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977). It was just over a year later that he was asked if he wanted to do another role. Mayhew was told it was for a big hairy beast. 

THAT ROLE WAS OF COURSE, Chewbacca, the faithful 200 year-old Wookiee in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and his life was changed forever. Following the original Star Wars trilogy, Mayhew has done several commercials in the Wookiee costume including one for Cingular and Orange associated with Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). In 1997, the twentieth anniversary celebrations of Star Wars were announced with the release of the "Special Edition" and all the conventions started. For many years, Mayhew was very active on the "Star Wars" convention circuit where he signed autographs, posed for pics and met his many thousands of friends and fans. He made time to write two books, "Growing Up Giant" and "My Favorite Giant" and founded a non-profit 501(c)3 charity organization called "The Peter Mayhew Foundation" and was the purveyor of chewbacca.com.

FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY, friends and industry shared their messages:

Harrison Ford, who played the character of Han Solo, praised him for his “great dignity and noble character. Peter Mayhew was a kind and gentle man, possessed of great dignity and noble character. 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. 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.” 

Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, shared a tribute on social media in which he described Mayhew as the “gentlest of giants”. He added: “A big man with an even bigger heart who never failed to make me smile & a loyal friend who I loved dearly-I’m grateful for the memories we shared & I’m a better man for just having known him. Thanks Pete #RIPPeterMayhew #Heartbroken”. 

Director and creator of Star Wars, George Lucas also paid tribute.“Peter was a wonderful man. He was the closest any human being could be to a Wookiee: big heart, gentle nature – and I learned to always let him win. He was a good friend, and I’m saddened by his passing.” 

The San Diego Comic-Con Twitter account also shared a message of tribute. “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Peter Mayhew. He was our beloved companion in a galaxy far, far, away. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and fans. The force will be with you always, Peter.” 

Joonas Suotamo took over the role of Chewbacca from Mayhew, first as a body double in Force Awakens and later as the lead in 2017’s The Last Jedi and 2018’s A Star Wars Story. Writing on Twitter, he said: “Devastated to hear about the passing of a dear friend and mentor, the great Peter Mayhew.Peter’s warm welcome when I came aboard as his double in The Force Awakens meant so much to me. Studying the character he helped create was always a daunting task, but one that was made easier by his tutelage and kindness as we sought to bring Chewbacca to life for a new generation. He was an absolutely one-of-a-kind gentleman and a legend of unrivaled class and I will miss him. As the entire Star Wars universe grieves over this terrible loss my thoughts and prayers are with his wife Angie and his family and all of the fans whose lives he has impacted. Rest assured his legacy will live on and the spirit that he gave the character when he first donned the suit will never be forgotten.” 

MAYHEW married his wife,  Mary Angelique ("Angie") in 1999 and together they had three children. He was very happy to become a naturalised citizen of the United States, in 2005. For several years, Mayhew had been plagued by ill heath, pneumonia, under went knee surgery and last year announced via Twitter, that he had successfully undergone unspecified spinal surgery to improve his mobility, and was recovering. 

PETER MAYHEW was extremely popular with fans of the Star Wars films. A regular presence at Star wars events around the world. His portrayal of Chewbacca and the chemistry between his character and that of Harrison Ford's Han Solo, remains one of the enduring emotive elements that has helped make Star Wars, such a success. A very kind, committed and generous man, who will forever be remembered with enormous affection . . . .     

NEW MARK HAMILL TALKS PETER CUSHING

MARK HAMILL SHARES the story of the day, he met Peter Cushing. Now, for some out there, you maybe asking yourself, why would actor MARK HAMILL want to meet actor Peter Cushing, even going into the studio on his day off? Hamill knew his chances of meeting Cushing were slim, as he didn't actually share any scenes with him in the film STAR WARS. The fact is, HAMILL was and still is a FAN. He LOVES Peter Cushing's work, grew up watching his Hammer films, and is very knowledgeable not only about Peter's work, but also about the man and his life too. SO, here was his golden opportunity. WATCH MARK HAMILL share his memories of the day, he met PETER CUSHING. . . 

REMEMBER! IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA  

REMEMBERING CARRIE FISHER ONE YEAR ON . . .

IT STILL SEEMS quite surreal writing this, one year on. A year today we lost CARRIE FISHER. The shock rippled around the world, and I am sure today, many will again feel that disbelief. Many here of course will know her connection to Peter Cushing, through the movie, STAR WARS. As Tarkin, they together played a key scene, with Peter cranking up his performance, as the cruel and most Machiavellian of characters in the Star Wars universe. Carrie later shared how difficult it had been for her to find the motivation, to hate Peter's Tarkin. She too,like many before her, had been charmed and moved, by his kindness and manner on set, it was quite a task to actually say those lines.

WHILE CREATING the banner for today's post, I dug though many hundreds of images of Carrie in file. They were ALL magical. They ALL projected her sense of fun, wickedness and love of life. Many were taken long before she started that painful and disabling struggle, that tripped and distracted her later in life. There were so many photographs, picking one, was just too difficult, picking TWO, was really no easier. Just like the fact she is no longer here, it's just not good enough . . . She really stands as one of the brightest STARS, not just in that Star Wars Galaxy, but in the lives of so many that she continues to touch. And today, we remember CARRIE FISHER, as one very special star, who still shines . . . .

REMEMBER! IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA

HOT TOYS TARKIN AND VADER 40TH ANNIVERSARY SET

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: Here's a VERY popular character that Peter Played 'A long, Long Time Ago...' and just keeps on giving! You may remember me posting some exclusive photographs here of Peter Cushing's TARKIN as an amazing new figure from HOT TOYS? Well, Graham Alexander Holden, provided those great pics, and today as promised he got in touch, to let us know that HOT TOYS have posted a great gallery of images of the Cushing Tarkin figure on their facebook page, and they look terrific! Graham told me, ' The Tarkin figure is also going to be part of a package containing Vader, as well as other extras. This will make it a very pricey purchase, so for those on a limited budget, the single figure purchase will be the better option!' Good advice. This is certainly the best collectable figure we have seen here of Tarkin for a long time. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Many thanks also to Roger Andreas Bendlin who give us a heads up about the figure

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY! HOT TOYS has released new details regarding the sixth scale Grand Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader figures that debuted at SDCC. According to the press release, Grand Moff Tarkin will be available individually and as part of a Star Wars 40th anniversary set with Vader. Naturally, both of the figures look fantastic, and they come with plenty of extras.

THE GRAND MOFF TARKIN figure features a newly developed head sculpt, a finely tailored Imperial uniform, a high back chair, and a Death Star themed figure base. The new Darth Vader 1/6th scale figure features redesigned gloves, an LED lightsaber, an Interrogator Droid, and a Death Star-themed figure base. 

The 1/6th scale Grand Moff Tarkin Collectible Figure:

• Authentic and detailed likeness of Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
• Movie-accurate facial expression with detailed skin texture
• Body with over 30 points of articulations
• Approximately 30 cm tall
• Six (6) pieces of interchangeable hands including:
• One (1) pair of relaxed hands
• Two (2) pairs of gesturing hands
• Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted

Costume:
• One (1) olive green Imperial officer uniform
• One (1) leather-like belt with silver colored buckle
• One (1) pair of black-colored leather-like boots

Accessories:
• One (1) Grand Moff Tarkin’s high-back chair
• Specially designed figure stand with character nameplate and Star Wars logo

The 1/6th scale Darth Vader Collectible Figure specially features:

• Authentic and detailed likeness of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
• Body with over 30 points of articulations
• Approximately 35 cm tall
• Nine (9) pieces of newly redesigned interchangeable gloved hands including:
• One (1) pair of fists
• One (1) pair of open hands
• One (1) pair of hands for holding lightsaber
• One (1) pair of posing hands
• One (1) Force choking right hand

Costume:
• One (1) specially crafted Darth Vader armor and suit
• One (1) black cape
• One (1) system function belt with LED light-up function (white light, battery operated)
• One (1) pair of black boots

Weapons:
• One (1) LED-lighted red lightsaber (white light, battery operated)
• One (1) lightsaber hilt

Accessories:
• One (1) Interrogator Droid
• Specially designed figure stand with character nameplate and Star Wars logo
 

Artists:
• Head & Armor Sculpted by Yoon Suk Choi, Seung Min Kang, Seung Soo Yoo
• Figure Painted by Lok Ho
• Figure Art Directed by JC. Hong

Release date: Approximately Q2 – Q3, 2018

IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA  

#TBT WHEN MARK HAMILL MET PETER CUSHING : INTERVIEW

#ThrowbackThursday: Here are two clips where Mark Hamill talks about meeting Peter Cushing on the set of Star Wars! He REALLY is a Peter Cushing fan and as you will see from the second clip, he is quite knowledgeable about Peter Cushing's  life and career!

THIS YEAR, 2016 marks the 60th anniversary of PCAS, help us celebrate Peter Cushing life and career, by sharing our post on any of our sites.

Facebook Fan Page:HERE  Youtube: HERE  Tumblr:HERE  Website:HERE

#STARWARS #MARKHAMILL #PETERCUSHING #ROGUEONE

NEWS: ROGUE WARS TO FEATURE DIGITALLY RECREATED CUSHING GRAND MOFF TARKIN

NEWS: AS REPORTED IN MAIL ON SUNDAY TODAY : AUGUST 23RD 2015

As the grim-faced star of countless horror films including Dracula and Dr Frankenstein, Peter Cushing raised life from beyond the grave, But now the British actor, who died in 1994, will be raised from the dead himself.

 

Cushing, star of many Hammer House of Horror movies, will be digitally recreated in the new Star Wars spin-off Rogue One, which is being filmed at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire and is due to be released late next year.

In the original 1977 Star Wars, Cushing played evil Grand Moff Tarkin, commander of the Death Star and 'boss' of Darth Vader. In the new film Cushing, who died of prostate cancer aged 81, will be painstakingly brought back to life using the latest Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) techniques.

A source told The Mail on Sunday: 'This is one of the most complex and costly CGI re-creations ever. Cushing is a pivotal plot line as he was the one to create Darth Vader and there's a whole back story that will come out.'

But the film-makers face one particularly tough task – creating Cushing's legs and feet.

When director George Lucas filmed the original Star Wars, he gave Cushing and other Galactic Imperial officers ill-fitting leather riding boots. Cushing complained so bitterly that Lucas let him wear slippers, forcing cameramen to shoot from the knees up or have him stand behind the Death Star conference table.

'They are going through hours and hours of old footage from the horror movies to recreate his legs and feet to produce realistic movements,' said the source. 'It is eerie to see someone who has been dead for so long come to life on a screen.'

CGI has been used before to complete movies when actors have died during production, including when Oliver Reed suffered a fatal heart attack while filming Russell Crowe's Gladiator in 1999.

 Story:  Caroline Graham for The Mail on Sunday