Ever since he first popped up in Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Mace Windu has been one of the baddest motherfu- sorry, baddest Jedi Masters in the business. Quite literally, in fact – Samuel L. Jackson has the letters ‘BMF’ etched into the hilt of the lightsaber he kept. And so, since we never actually saw him perish, there have long been rumours – and wishes from fans – that maybe, just maybe, he didn’t die in Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith. Sure, his hand was sliced off by Anakin, and he was seriously sizzled by Palpatine’s Force lightning before being flung from a window into the Coruscant sky. But in the Star Wars galaxy, is that really enough to kill the coolest Jedi?
Not according to Jackson. For the new issue of Empire – celebrating 25 years of the Star Wars prequels – we fired off a few questions about the galaxy far, far away to the man himself, and he responded with a series of brief, emphatic messages. Most notably, he had three words to say on Mace Windu’s death scene: “HE’S NOT DEAD!!!” That’s that settled then. Two more words sure to stoke fans’ imaginations? On the subject of what he would want to do in a Mace Windu-centric Disney+ series, Jackson responded: “EVERYTHING YES!!” So there you have it: Samuel L. Jackson wants a Mace Windu show as much as you do.
Jackson last popped up as Windu for a brief voice role in Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker, talking to Rey in her final moments on Exegol alongside a host of other Jedi voices. And Mace Windu fans are currently getting a new adventure with the legendary Jedi in four-issue comic Star Wars: Mace Windu, set 10 years prior to The Phantom Menace, the first issue of which arrived last week. Perhaps we’ll see Windu on screen again in live-action – all will be as the Force wills it.
Read Empire’s full interviews with Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Brian Blessed, Matt Doran and more in the Star Wars prequels 25th anniversary issue. Also inside the issue, we revisit iconic sequences with producer Rick McCallum, stunt co-ordinator Nick Gillard, and concept designer Iain McCaig, breaking down the Podrace, the Geonosis arena battle, and the Mustafar duel; we get a closer look at rarely-seen concept art from across the trilogy; we speak to designer Ellen Lee Moon on the story behind her legendary Phantom Menace poster, and much, much more. It’s the ultimate look back at the trilogy that changed everything.
Find the issue in all good and evil newsagents – from the core worlds to the outer rim – from Thursday 15 February.