Samuel L. Jackson is currently in the midst of an unusually quiet period, with 2020 marking the first time he’s only made one movie in a calendar year in decades, a far cry from the seven films and one documentary he was credited for last year. And as one of the most prolific actors in the business, you get the feeling that the 71 year-old won’t be too pleased sitting at home instead of being on set.
Of course, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Nick Fury has never been shy in admitting that he’d love the chance to return to the Star Wars franchise and play Mace Windu one last time, and while he did make a brief voice cameo in The Rise of Skywalker, you’d imagine he was likely talking about something a lot more substantial. Like a live-action role.
We Got This Covered told you over the weekend that Disney and Lucasfilm had been discussing the idea of a Mace Windu solo movie behind the scenes and now, noted insider Daniel Richtman and journalist Caleb Williams have both confirmed that they’ve heard similar things, backing up our scoop. Not much is known about the project just yet, but according to Williams at least, it’s definitely in development and Jackson is expected to return in some capacity.
Young Mace Windu project in development. Sam Jackson expect to return as an older Windu but will also recast #StarWars pic.twitter.com/w0VRnP8FpW
— Caleb Williams (@KnightGambit) September 13, 2020
If the studio are keen on the idea of a Mace Windu prequel set during his time battling the Empire as one of the Jedi’s fiercest warriors, then recasting the role entirely would be a terrible idea. There aren’t many actors out there who could convincingly capture the charisma and screen presence of a young Samuel L. Jackson, and the best bet to ensure success would be to have a younger star used for flashbacks and still retain Jackson for the majority of the major story beats and action sequences. For now, though, we’ll just have to sit tight and see what direction they ultimately head in.
