An Unusual Character Headed for GLEE: Star Wars' Chewbacca

GLEE, Fox's hit musical series, has had its fair share of characters, but the latest addition to the show's holiday episode may be the strangest: Star Wars creator George Lucas has given GLEE permission - and the official actor - in order to feature Chewbacca.

Matthew Morrison, who plays Will Schuester on GLEE and will also be directing the holiday episode, tells WENN: "He gave us Chewbacca. There's only one guy who can officially be Chewbacca and he lives in northern California; they flew him in. It was just great. We were all taking pictures with him. He's a guy who has been doing it for 12 years."

Now in its third season, GLEE is a musical comedy about a group of eager and ambitious students who strive to outshine their singing competition to win Nationals while navigating the cruel halls of McKinley High. Since its debut, GLEE has become a bona fide cultural phenomenon, received prestigious honors including the Golden Globe and Peabody Award and singlehandedly made glee clubs cool again.

In addition to the regular cast, GLEE has featured guest appearances by a wide range of talented performers, including Gwyneth Paltrow (who won the 2011 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series), Carol Burnett, Kathy Griffin, Cheyenne Jackson, John Stamos, Britney Spears, Kristen Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Molly Shannon, Olivia Newton-John and Neil Patrick Harris, who won a 2010 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on the show.

The May 25, 1977 theatrical debut of Star Wars - on a scant 32 screens across America - was destined to change the face of cinema forever. An instant classic and an unparalleled box office success, the rousing "space opera" was equal parts fairy tale, western, 1930s serial and special effects extravaganza, with roots in mythologies from cultures around the world. From the mind of visionary writer/director George Lucas, the epic space fantasy introduced the mystical Force into the cultural vocabulary, as well as iconic characters such as evil Darth Vader, idealistic Luke Skywalker, feisty Princess Leia, lovable scoundrel Han Solo and wise Obi-Wan Kenobi. Since its 1977 debut, Star Wars has continued to grow, its lush narrative expanding from modest beginnings into an epic, six-film Saga chronicling the fall and redemption of The Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker.

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