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George Lucas has three movies’ worth of unused footage from Star Wars prequels

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George Lucas has three movies' worth of unused footage from Star Wars prequels

As a gamer with over two decades of Star Wars fandom under my belt, I can’t help but feel like a kid on Christmas morning hearing about the potential release of extended cuts for the prequel trilogy. I remember the first time I watched Episode III and the heart-wrenching duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan. The high ground line, the choreography, it was all so iconic.

Occasionally, people find deleted scenes from the Star Wars prequels. For quite some time now, fans have been anticipating an extended version of the films, particularly Episode III. There’s a chance they might get it someday, as per ScreenRant, due to a recent interview with Star Wars stunt coordinator Nick Gillard that disclosed the substantial amount of leftover footage from the prequel trilogy.

In an interview with Chris Castellani, Gillard shared that there is ample material from the extensive footage for another three-part series, equivalent to “three additional films.” Although there are likely many scenes left out of the final cuts, Gillard, who designed the duel choreography for the prequels, talked about an alternate version of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s climactic duel in the final episode.

In this adaptation, the events unfold distinctly from the film, yet both share a common ending where Anakin loses all his limbs. Gillard provides a vivid account of the scene, depicting Anakin seizing Obi-Wan by the throat, disarming him, and then making an attempt to behead him with his lightsaber.

They came up with that big mast that fell over, that they swung and landed on something floating on the lava… they didn’t, they landed on the bank. They landed from the swing, they landed on the bank. Immediately we have, that he grabbed him by the throat, Anakin grabs Obi from the throat, he disarms him, his lightsaber’s on the floor, he’s like, and I’m really sorry, you have to be killed and launches his lightsaber to cut his head off, and Obi – in a defense move – turns out of it, summons his lightsaber to parry that blow that’s coming for his head, in the turn goes through Anakin’s arms.

Nick Gillard

Gillard didn’t explain why this particular version wasn’t used in the film, but it’s intriguing to speculate how he might have depicted this pivotal scene. The “high ground” line and practically every moment of this duel have since become iconic, with fans frequently requesting Ewan McGregor to recite the renowned dialogue at conventions. In terms of fight choreography, this duel is unparalleled, but it’s been widely acknowledged that some elements of the scene were altered. For instance, a line spoken by Hayden Christensen after Anakin loses his limbs was cut. Originally, Anakin pleaded with Obi-Wan for aid as his body caught fire, but Obi-Wan declined.

It might have been wise to alter this particular scene, as it could have significantly altered our view of Obi-Wan for good. As for the numerous deleted scenes from the prequels, they won’t be released unless George Lucas approves them first. To date, there haven’t been any discussions about an extended cut of the Star Wars prequels, but it’s not entirely impossible.

Could it be? Maybe I’ll get lucky next year on the 20th anniversary of Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and Lucasfilm will unveil an extended cut! This version could potentially include the alternate take of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s heart-wrenching duel. It’d certainly ramp up our excitement levels if the movie came back with previously unseen footage.

The Star Wars prequel trilogy is streaming on Disney+.

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2024-10-01 23:51

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