Standing in the Stars : The Peter Mayhew Story

A project in New York, NY by W Ryan Ziegler
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Follow Star Wars Gentle Giant Peter Mayhew, "Chewbacca," as he tells his story, has both knees replaced & relearns to stand on his own.
Backers: 1225
Average Pledge Per Backer: $56

Funded: $68,985 of $42,000
Dates: Aug 20th -> Sep 14th (25 days)
Project By: W Ryan Ziegler
Tags:
filmdocumentaryhealth and fitness +Suggest

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$68,985

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Last Updated: September 14 @ 21:01 -0400 GMT

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Latest News

Last hour of the kickstarter & a message from the director.

September 14th - via: kickstarter.com
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read. (Read More)

Peter walked his first few steps today! Last 3 hours!

September 14th - via: kickstarter.com
Howdy Chewbackers, Today, Peter walked his first few steps with his physical therapists.  We're still in the first week but Peter is definitely showing his perseverance through this process already.  Peter is still a little spacey and having... (Read More)

Update: Today Peter stood for the first time on his new knees!

September 12th - via: kickstarter.com
Update: Today Peter stood for the first time on his new knees! Still a long way to go but everything's starting to fall into place! 21 hours left on the kickstarter. ONE FINAL PACKAGE (worth the wait) Katy, Angie & Peter's daughter, is working on... (Read More)

The Wookiee Wins: Meet the Director of the Chewbacca Doc That Conquered Kickstarter

September 12th - via: ocweekly.com
Understandably, Peter Mayhew is not as well-known as Harrison Ford or Mark Hamill. But W. Ryan Ziegler wants to change that. The first-time filmmaker is now raising money on Kickstarter for Standing In the Stars: The Peter Mayhew Story, a documentary about the 7-foot-3 actor who played Chewbacca in the original Star Wars films. (Read More)

Star Wars Thursday: Let the Wookiee Walk Edition

September 12th - via: fandompost.com
Welcome back to Star Wars Thursday, a celebration of the wonderful world of a galaxy far, far away. You’d have to look far and wide to find an example of a more constant, loyal companion than Chewbacca. The actor who brought Chewbacca to life, Peter Mayhew, has an interesting story of his own. (Read More)

Update: Today Peter tries standing for the first time.

September 11th - via: kickstarter.com
There's a long road ahead, but here starts his road to recovery. Within the next month or two of physical therapy we should have the winningest wookiee in the galaxy. Newly added incentives: Check out Jonathan Ribera's "Canned Copilot" exclusively... (Read More)

Chewbacca actor has both knees replaced

September 11th - via: nbcnews.com
Actor Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-3-inch actor who played Chewbacca in the "Star Wars" films, underwent double knee-replacement surgery in Texas on Monday, family members posted to his Twitter account. (Read More)

Woozy Wookiee.

September 10th - via: kickstarter.com
It's been a rough morning. Peter is still sleeping it off. We've got lots of family and friends around. Feel free to send any get well videos and photos to my email wryanziegler@gmail.com.  (Read More)

Out of surgery..

September 9th - via: kickstarter.com
Peter's out of the PACU and he's just come off the respirator. Peter's OK, and he's recovering as we speak.  (Read More)

OR Update #4

September 9th - via: kickstarter.com
Hospital team's building a massive bed to receive our favorite wookiee.  (Read More)

OR Update #3

September 9th - via: kickstarter.com
Out of surgery. Doctor is confident it went well. We'll find out soon. So, barring anything unexpected over the next few days, today we start down the long road to recovery.  (Read More)

OR Update #2

September 9th - via: kickstarter.com
Finishing up the first knee replacement. Went well. No problems so far. Thanks again for all the support.  (Read More)

OR update #1

September 9th - via: kickstarter.com
First update from the OR, surgery is going as planned, and things are progressing slightly better than anticipated. Peter is under and they are working on the first knee.  (Read More)

On Kickstarter: Documentary About The Actor Who Played Chewbacca In Star Wars

September 9th - via: crowdfundinsider.com
Peter Mayhew made history playing Chewbacca in the Star Wars franchise. At 7’3″, he was also born with Giantism. His large frame has degraded his knees to the point of needing surgery in order to walk unassisted again, and a fully-funded Kickstarter campaign for a documentary about the next chapter of Mayhew’s life hopes to help with some of the medical costs. (Read More)

Peter Mayhew Needs Your Help

September 9th - via: bleedingcool.com
I was checking my twitter feed last night, reading Steranko’s amazing tales, catching up on a few friend’s weekends and then I found this… (Read More)

Day of surgery.

September 8th - via: kickstarter.com
Day of surgery. Here we go guys. Many updates to come through the day. Additionally, today the day of the surgery, the Mayhew Family has opened the doors to their personal collection of memorabilia spanning the decades, a special selection, all... (Read More)

Chewbacca faces knee replacement surgery; Kickstarter campaign helps cover costs

September 8th - via: examiner.com
Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies, is scheduled to have surgery on Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, just two days after he attended the first ever Salt Lake Comic Con. The knee replacement surgery will be the first for someone the size of Mayhew. Companies had to engineer the knees and add 3 inches of steel to replace what has been worn down over time according to his wife Angie. (Read More)

Stories + Incentives + Stretch Goal #1

September 7th - via: kickstarter.com
Our crew was filming at Salt Lake City Comic Con today. We heard from Ray Park and Dave Prowse about their history with Peter and the health problems they've each faced. We also got to hear from a few of the unsung heroes in the 501st and the Rebel... (Read More)

Operation update. New incentive. T-shirt add-on.

September 6th - via: kickstarter.com
Just got word from the hospital. Results have come back from pre-op testing and we are cleared for surgery this upcoming week. We've added an exclusive 10 print run of a unique piece made for the Kickstarter by Lucasfilm artist Scott Harben. Metallic... (Read More)

Kickstarter – The Good – Standing in the Stars

September 6th - via: geekheadradio.com
Before reading further, take a moment to stand up. If it took you less than thirty seconds, I want you to realize you are lucky. Understanding the psychology behind what Peter Mayhew and many others in the world are facing is the most important part of Standing in the Stars: The Peter Mayhew Story Kickstarter project. (Read More)

'Star Wars' icons share stories at Salt Lake Comic Con

September 5th - via: m.deseretnews.com
Star Wars fans at Salt Lake Comic Con met two of the films' most iconic figures — Darth Vader and Chewbacca. David Prowse and Peter Mayhew, two actors who starred in the George Lucas trilogy, took to the convention’s main stage Thursday afternoon to standing ovations from the crowd. (Read More)

Pre-op update.

September 4th - via: kickstarter.com
Peter is in good enough health to move forward with the operation and we've met the team behind his new prosthetic. Today the whole crew and family heads for Salt Lake for Peter's last convention before surgery. If you can, take a moment and share... (Read More)

Giant success on the horizon

September 3rd - via: kickstarter.com
We've put ourselves out there and despite limited resources we've all chipped in to get the production team out and filming Peter's last convention before his surgery. We've been overwhelmed by the support we've gotten so far. Recently we've added a... (Read More)

Film showing Chewbacca’s effort to walk again will start in Salt Lake City

September 2nd - via: sltrib.com
Before Chewbacca can make another Kessel Run, he first needs to walk. Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-3 English actor who portrayed Han Solo’s furry friend in four "Star Wars" movies, will undergo surgery to repair his crumbling knees just three days after appearing at next week’s Salt Lake Comic Con. (Read More)

Let’s Kickstart This! Standing in the Stars : The Peter Mayhew Story

September 2nd - via: pastramination.com
There are always imaginative, creative projects on Kickstarter, but this one is of importance to the pop culture universe, as well as a way to see the triumph of the human spirit. This Kickstarter is about the mighty Chewbacca himself, Peter Mayhew. (Read More)

Chewbacca se lance dans le crowdfunding

August 23rd - via: next.liberation.fr
Peter Mayhew, l'acteur très poilu de «Star Wars», fait appel aux internautes pour financer un documentaire sur ses opérations de genoux. (Read More)

Chewbacca's knees to get their own crowdfunded film

August 22nd - via: news.cnet.com
A filmmaker raises funds for a documentary on 'Star Wars' actor Peter Mayhew's epic journey through major knee-replacement surgery. (Read More)

Captain Kirk uses his Twitter Force to kickstart Chewbacca actor's crowdfunded surgery doc

August 22nd - via: thedrum.com
Star Trek actor William Shatner, who has a longstanding (semi) good natured feud ongoing with Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, has joined JJ Abrams in crossing the interstellar genre divide by publicising Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew’s attempt to crowd source a film documenting an essential double knee replacement. (Read More)

Star Wars Episode 7 News: Support "Standing in the Stars: The Peter Mayhew Story".

August 22nd - via: starwars7news.com
Actor Peter Mayhew who played Chewbacca in the Original Trilogy needs you! There is a Kickstarter campaign for a documentary about his upcoming dual knee replacement. Everyone can help... (Read More)

If you have additional news that doesn't appear here, shoot us a link!