One Star Wars director has talked to a Lucasfilm executive about Samuel L. Jackson returning as Mace Windu, adding steam to fans' hopes that the legendary actor could return to the galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars films have notoriously included some of the biggest actors of all time, such as Harrison Ford, Christopher Lee, and Samuel L. Jackson. Some of those actors, such as Ford, have expressed no interest in ever returning to the franchise, but others, like Jackson, have been quite vocal about coming back.
Since Mace Windu's duel with Chancellor Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith, many fans are convinced that the Jedi Master survived the fall and his injuries, and believe that a return could happen at any time. While that seems unlikely, Jackson is not the only voice of power who wants to make it happen.
Samuel L. Jackson's Star Wars Return Has Been Discussed at Lucasfilm
Actress and filmmaker Bryce Dallas Howard recently sat down with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (shared via YouTube). During the discussion, Howard was asked a general question about directing that then led her to bring Star Wars into the conversation.
Notably, Howard was asked who some actors she would like to direct on-screen are. After noting her Jurassic World co-star Chris Pratt, The Mandalorian director then mentioned Samuel L. Jackson, noting that he has always been "incredibly supportive of [her]" and has said that "he would act in something [she] directed:"
"Sam Jackson has been incredibly supportive of me and has told me many times that he would act in something that I directed, which is, like, I'm not worthy, basically."
Howard then revealed that, after Jackson told her that, she "went straight to Dave Filoni" and asked if there was any way Mace Windu could be incorporated into a Star Wars project she would be directing, echoing fans by questioning if Jackson's character is really dead in the Star Wars universe:
"And then I went straight to Dave Filoni and I was like, 'So, let's just talk about Mace Windu and where he is. Can we just talk about this? Because, is he dead? Is he?'"
Ironically, Jackson himself sat with Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast three years before Howard to talk about the same exact topic, and even mentioned the conversation Howard was alluding to.
In that interview, Jackson reiterated what he had been telling everyone else:
"Definitely. There’s a huge history of people with one hand returning in Star Wars… The only person I’ve ever said that to about coming back was Bryce Dallas Howard, ’cause I just did a movie with her. And she directs episodes of 'The Mandalorian,' so, 'You think you might be able to hook a brother up? I mean you like me, right?' She’s like, 'I love you, you’re amazing!' So, 'Put me back in there… Put me in coach, I’m ready!' You know, I’ll learn to lightsaber left-handed. Come on, hook me up."
That interview was far from the only time Jackson has talked about wanting to come back to the galaxy far, far away. For example, in a February 2024 interview with Empire, Jackson strongly argued that Windu was alive, emphatically saying, "HE'S NOT DEAD!!!"
In the same interview, Jackson was asked what his thoughts would be on a Mace Windu-centered Disney+ show, similar to Obi-Wan Kenobi. The tenured actor had only two words to say, but they were quite decisive: "EVERYTHING, YES!!"
Jackson has his own theories about what happened to Mace Windu in the prequels. While still speaking to Empire, he revealed that he thought Mace could be like Obi-Wan, where everyone in the galaxy "thinks [he's] dead" but instead he has been hiding:
"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 revealed that, more than anything, "[he] just wants to stay associated with the franchise:"
"I could be a ghost hologram, I don’t care, I just want to stay associated with the franchise."
More recently, when appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in October 2024 (as shared via YouTube), Jackson once again pointed out that "just 'cause they cut [his] arm off doesn't mean [he's] dead:"
"I mean, there's a long history of one-armed, one-handed people in the Star Wars universe. So, just 'cause they cut my arm off, and I fell out of a window, doesn't mean I'm dead."
With the Star Wars universe growing at a rapid pace and more projects coming out that are set around the same point in the timeline that Mace "died," there have likely been at least a few discussions about possibly bringing the character back.
At the very least, Howard's comments confirmed that she at least put the idea in Dave Filoni's head.
Could Mace Windu Ever Return?
Mace Windu is one of the only major characters from the prequel trilogy to not return to Star Wars in some capacity. Hayden Christensen and Liam Neeson made their epic comebacks as Anakin Skywalker and Qui-Gon Jinn in Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi (alongside Ewan McGregor).
Really, the only two major prequel actors who have not been brought back yet are Jackson and Natalie Portman. However, some rumors have suggested that Portman could return in Ahsoka Season 2. If that were to happen, it would only leave Jackson.
Since Jackson has been so vocal about reprising his role as Mace Windu, it is hard to imagine that Lucasfilm wouldn't allow him to do something as the character. Even if the creatives are set on Mace being dead, as Jackson said, he could still return as a Force ghost.
The only upcoming Star Wars project that Mace's return (as a Force ghost) would make sense in would be Ahsoka. After all, she was well-acquainted with Mace while still part of the Jedi Order.
Even if characters have died, Star Wars has seemingly tried to find some way to bring them back, even if just for a short cameo.
If Jackson wants to return as badly as he does, it wouldn't be a surprise if Lucasfilm gave it the go-ahead.
