Former Penn State forward Joonas Suotamo is the new Chewbacca
One of cinema’s iconic franchises will now carry a distinct hardwood flavor.
Joonas Suotamo, a former Penn State basketball player, will play Chewbacca in the next Star Wars movie. Suotamo had doubled for Peter Mayhew, the original Chewbacca, in the 2015 movie “The Force Awakens.”
Suotamo announced the news Tuesday on Twitter, saying he is ecstatic about the opportunity and that he hopes to make Mayhew proud.
I'm ecstatic. It's official. And here is my statement to this terrific piece of news https://t.co/a1DPsNDb2P pic.twitter.com/r4EUZ2r17V
— Joonas Suotamo (@JoonasSuotamo) February 21, 2017
He, of course, closed with a *Wookie fist bump.*
The 6-foot-10 Suotamo played three seasons for the Nittany Lions, from 2005-08, suffering an early foot injury that limited him before he graduated early to begin compulsory service in the Finnish military. The film and video major earned academic All-Big Ten honors in 2007 and 2008, and he tallied 22 points and 28 rebounds during his collegiate career.
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Former PSU assistant Kurt Kanaskie, now at Air Force, recalled his recruiting efforts of Suotamo in a 2015 interview with PennLive’s David Jones.
“He was really fairly highly recruited. UCLA and USC were involved and we were really concerned about those schools because we knew he wanted to be in film.
“But it came down to us and Baylor. And Baylor had a connection to Europe at the time. [Baylor coach Scott] Drew had a lot of contacts.
“He’s just a great kid. Super student. And was really into filmmaking while he was at Penn State.”
Suotamo continued his hoops career overseas with the Espoo Basket Team from 2011-15, but Hollywood was never far from his mind. Suotamo had dressed as Ivan Drago from “Rocky” for a PSU preseason event in 2007, although he had his own doubts about a future in his chosen field due to personal circumstances, according to the school’s athletic website:
“I would love to be an actor,” he said. “But, It’s not possible. I am too tall. There are no roles for people as tall as me. So, I want to become a director. I want to direct people how to convey a certain meaning with your face and how to express your emotions.”
As it turns out, Suotamo has landed himself quite the role, even if he’s roughly four inches shorter than 7-foot-2 Mayhew. Suotamo reiterated his excitement about his new role Wednesday in an Instagram post.
A post shared by Joonas Suotamo (@joonassuotamo) on Feb 22, 2017 at 11:35am PST
The untitled Star Wars flick, which focuses on a young Hans Solo, will hit theaters May 25, 2018.
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Matt Fortuna is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!