Bigfoot starring Peter Mayhew

“The Bigfoot Movies That Might Have Been” is an occasional series that profiles Bigfoot-related movies that never made it off the ground.

While shooting “Return of the Jedi” in the redwood forests of Northern California, Peter Mayhew, the seven foot, three inch actor who portrayed Chewbacca the Wookiee, was warned not to walk off set in costume for fear of being shot by hunters. “Remember, this is Bigfoot country,” he was told by concerned crew members. Coincidentally enough, Mayhew was attached years later to the title role in “Bigfoot,” a film that was written by Mark Hanson and was to be directed by Brad Keller of Texas-based Fireside Entertainment. The film was in development from roughly 1999-2001.

Hanson says he picked Bigfoot as the subject matter out of “pure fascination.” Likewise, Keller says that “Mysteries always excite me.” The project required both to do a bit of research, and they even consulted with Bigfoot buffs, including members of the then-titled Texas Bigfoot Research Center. Hanson adds that Bigfoot researchers “came out of the woodwork once it was known we were working on a movie” about the subject.

According to Keller, the film’s plot centered on Bigfoot being “the missing link between man and aliens from another world.” “Missing Link” was also a potential title for the film, and during appearances at memorabilia and science fiction conventions, Peter Mayhew referred to the project as “Bigfoot Among Us.” In a blurb from a 2001 issue of “The Star Wars Insider,” Mayhew referred to the film’s tone as being in the same vein as “The X-Files.”

As for how Keller and Hanson managed to get Mayhew interested in the title role, Keller recalls “I approached him at a party and he was interested in playing the part.”

Keller and Hanson shot a trailer for the film in the woods of East Texas. Shooting was planned to take place in both Texas and Louisiana, and casting notices appeared in regional newspapers such as “The Dallas Observer.” Hanson recalls that they were “told by a studio we had a deal.” Nine years later, Hanson says they’re “still waiting on the deal; I quit holding my breath, though.”

While the film never ended up getting made, Keller says he’d “still like to make it if funding can be raised.” As for Peter Mayhew, he got the chance to don another hairy, bipedal creature suit for “Star Wars Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith” which was released in 2005.

Special thanks to Brad Keller and Mark Hanson for sharing their recollections.

Sean Whitley is the writer and director of “Southern Fried Bigfoot,” which is currently in broadcast rotation on The Documentary Channel.

Sean Whitley About Sean Whitley
Sean Whitley first heard stories of Bigfoot lurking in Texas at the ripe old age of four. Several sleepless nights and nightmare-laden years later, he attended Southern Methodist University on an academic scholarship and graduated with a BA in Cinema. Whitley has worked as a scriptwriter and field producer for a wide variety of programs that have been broadcast on The Cartoon Network, The Learning Channel, SPEED Channel, MTV, Spike TV, Starz/Encore, Turner Classic Movies, HGTV, and The Cooking Channel. "Southern Fried Bigfoot" is his directorial debut. He lives in the Dallas, Texas metro area with his wife Cynthia, a cat named Josh, and two dogs: Speckles, an Australian cattle mix, and Lovey, a Potcake from the British West Indies.

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