Chewbacca strikes back? Star Wars: Episode VII looking to cast new Wookie

Actor must be a slim, 7ft tall man with upright posture

Chewbacca poses at Star Wars premiere (Getty Images)

Chewbacca could be returning to the big screen, a new casting call for JJ Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII has suggested.

The Walt Disney and Lucasfilm collaboration is on the hunt for a very tall man with the physical attributes of the Wookie character – minus, of course, the ample body hair.

According to Den of Geek, a British casting call for an "untitled studio feature" is looking for a: "Male, 7ft to 7.3ft tall with a slim/thin build and upright posture. Not too worked out or too ‘thick set’ especially in the shoulders. Broad facial features would be a bonus."

The description is uncannily similar to the build of 7ft 3in Peter Mayhew, the 69-year-old British actor who played Chewbacca in four Star Wars films.

One of the franchise's best-loved characters, Chewbacca was Han Solo's loyal companion. Despite their fearsome appearance, Wookies were gentle giants unless provoked.

The casting call lists the producers as "Kathleen Kennedy, JJ Abrams, Bryan Burk," and "Tommy Harper (Exec)". The production's start date is said to be "early 2014", which would allow the new Star Wars film to meet the 2015 release window originally mooted by Disney.