The prequel trilogy of Star Wars films introduced audiences to a variety of new Jedi, with the original films merely focusing on the dwindling remnants of the Jedi Order. One of the most exciting new additions to the series was Samuel L. Jackson‘s Mace Windu, who demonstrated his impressive combat abilities in Attack of the Clones. The actor recently shared that, though his screentime in Revenge of the Sith was only a couple of minutes, his training for an effective showdown lasted more than a month.
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“Lightsaber battles? It takes a long time to learn those, or it did when I was doing them,” Jackson shared with GQ. “The last one I did with the Emperor was 99 moves through three rooms, backwards for me. So, two weeks in sneakers and shorts, two weeks in boots, another week in Jedi robe/boots/lightsaber before we actually shot it. So, it was pretty intense.”
Compared to the original trilogy, lightsaber battles in the prequels became far more riveting, thanks to advancements in technology making it capable to depict larger scale arenas and larger budgets allowing for more dazzling spectacles. Knowing how complicated this brief showdown was to orchestrate should give fans a new appreciation for even longer sequences seen in the films.
Bad news for Jackson was that his character didn’t survive the battle, yet he teased at Star Wars Celebration last year that he would gladly reprise his role, considering Jedi have proven themselves as rugged survivors.
“While you’re all sitting there, I know you’re all in my corner on this. We all know Jedi can fall form incredible heights and survive, so apparently I am not dead,” Jackson explained in a video message for the event. “Yes I have two appendages right now, but we know the long and rich history of Star Wars characters reappearing with new appendages and being stronger and better than they ever were. Mace Windu is awaiting his return, let’s make it happen!”
The amount of time that has passed since his seemingly tragic fall would make an appearance in Episode IX unlikely, yet, depending on what future standalone stories Lucasfilm chooses to explore, we wouldn’t rule it out completely. Prior to the premiere of The Last Jedi, some fans even theorized Supreme Leader Snoke was actually Windu, considering he only appeared as a hologram in The Force Awakens, though that theory has been debunked.
Episode IX lands in theaters on December 20, 2019.
Which is your favorite lightsaber battle in the saga? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!
[H/T YouTube, GQ]
