While STAR WARS: EPISODE VII talk has certainly yielded a huge amount of ideas from fans, I honestly never considered having Mace Windu make a return appearance. Samuel L. Jackson‘s character was one of the most under-utilized of the prequel characters despite having tons of presence and potential. With his swan dive at the end of REVENGE OF THE SITH, I assumed we had seen the end of him. But, Jackson holds out hope that we may get more Windu.
In a recent interview with Coming Soon, Jackson outlined his excitement at the new films coming from the LucasFilm/Disney merger: “I’m not surprised but totally geeked by the idea of there being more Star Wars. It’s like, okay, Obi-Wan was dead when episode four started, so maybe everyone thinks I’m dead and we’ll find out what happened to Mace Windu. I can come back as one-armed or a one-handed Jedi that’s still around that didn’t actually die.”
Jackson also offered some ideas on how to bring Windu back: “I could do that or be a ghost hologram. I don’t care, I just want to stay associated with the franchise. I just always loved it. I always loved the idea of it, that there’s this whole civilization out there somewhere else that’s just as much fun and different and diverse and wild as we are.”
So, seeing as STAR WARS: EPISODE VII, VIII, and IX are taking place after the death of all the prequel characters, I am not sure how Windu would fit into the new trilogy, but I would not be opposed if they could find a natural way to get him into the story. There will still be a need for some sort of Jedi guidance for Luke and beyond. Maybe the Skywalkers rebuild the Jedi Temple and the archives of the Order and Windu can make an appearance? Who knows! This is STAR WARS, so the possibilities are endless!
STAR WARS: EPISODE VII is slated to open in 2015.