Samuel L. Jackson Has An Unbeatable Pitch For A Potential Star Wars Return
Although the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy is often maligned by critics (via Rotten Tomatoes), few fans would ever contest that the three films presented the franchise with a treasure trove of creative inspiration for subsequent projects. Indeed, with the upcoming Disney+ release of the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series, some fans are looking back on the prequel trilogy with a newfound focus on the positives (via Inverse).
In addition to Ewan McGregor's portrayal of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Samuel L. Jackson's role as Jedi Master Mace Windu is often cited as one of the best aspects of the prequels (via Reddit). First appearing in "Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace," Mace Windu is never one to mince words. Armed with the only purple lightsaber in the galaxy, Mace Windu often acts as one of the more decisive members of the Jedi order, less prone to contemplation than his more introspective colleagues, but every bit as deadly.
Sadly, Mace Windu's willingness to differ in this way ultimately does little to save him from a combined attack from Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader) (Hayden Christensen) and Emperor Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) (Ian McDiarmid) in "Star Wars Episode III – Revenge of the Sith." As "Star Wars" fans will surely remember, Mace Windu's final curtain call in that film sees him flung out of Emperor Palpatine's office with only three of his four limbs left. Of course, "Star Wars" fans have speculated that he might have survived ever since.
During a recent interview, Jackson was asked about the possibility of returning to a galaxy far, far away. As usual, Jackson wasn't shy about sharing his opinion.
Jackson insists Mace Windu is still out there somewhere
Never count a Jedi out of a miraculous recovery. During an interview with Josh Horowitz for the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast (via Apple Podcasts), Jackson affirmed that he still believes a one-armed Mace Windu is alive "somewhere."
"There's a huge history of people with one hand returning in 'Star Wars,'" Jackson said, surely energizing the hopes of prequel trilogy fans everywhere (via Twitter). Jackson also mentioned that he told "The Mandalorian" director Bryce Dallas Howard as much when they worked together on a recent movie. "Put me in coach," Jackson joked. "I'll learn to lightsaber left-handed."
Notably, Mace Windu isn't the only character in Jackson's filmography to be abruptly robbed of a limb. In 1993's "Jurassic Park," Samuel L. Jackson played John Raymond Arnold, the chief engineer of the dinosaur-infested attraction. Although the "Jurassic Park" Fandom page reports that Arnold perished after an encounter with a velociraptor, Jackson also saw fit to cast doubt on such a conclusion during his recent interview with Horowitz.
In fact, Jackson said that he holds the same position on both character's respective fates. "[Arnold] is somewhere riding around on velociraptors with one arm," Jackson said, imitating a one-armed man trying to ride a dinosaur. "He's just on the island... Just riding raptors."
While we're not convinced Arnold has quite the staying power as a Jedi, Jackson has repeatedly stated that he is open to returning to the role of Mace Windu. In fact, Jackson has been telling fans this for a number of years, including one memorable moment during a panel at the 2017 Star Wars Celebration. During that event, Jackson said, "We all know Jedi can fall from incredible heights and survive, so apparently I am not dead."