Over the weekend, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith hit theaters again to celebrate its 20th anniversary, and fans at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood got way more than they bargained for.
During a special screening, Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson shocked the crowd by crashing the event, bringing lightsabers, memories, and a lot of energy to the stage.
Christensen came out first, red lightsaber in hand, taking a moment to connect with the cheering fans.
“I see a lot of lightsabers out here, I see a lot of red lightsabers, which, truth be told, is my personal favorite lightsaber color.”
Before he could say much more, Jackson’s voice rang out from off-stage, and he walked about with his purple lightsaber:
“Hold on, Skywalker. This party ain’t even over.”
The two stars embraced the moment like old friends, soaking in the love from the audience. Jackson, clearly blown away by the turnout and excitement, reflected on the film’s legacy:
“This is so, so, so awesome. Twenty years later, I can hardly believe that we’re still as popular — as happenin’ — as we are.
“I haven’t seen Hayden in a while, but so, so, so happy to come back, see him, and see all of you at the same time. Thank you all so much. We had a great time making the film down in Australia. We were hangin’ out, doin’ stuff.”
And just when the fans thought it couldn’t get any better, Jackson dropped a bombshell that instantly set the room on fire. Talking about his climactic fight with Palpatine, Jackson joked:
“I hope you enjoy the effort that went into this and watching me do my ‘I move almost all backwards’ fight with Palpatine. Before my unexpected exit. And for the record — Mace lives!”
It’s a claim Jackson has championed for years. Technically, we never saw Mace Windu’s body after that brutal fall from the Coruscant skyline, just a severed arm and a blast of Force lightning. In a galaxy where Darth Maul survived being cut in half, anything’s possible.
Bryce Dallas Howard recently said that she would love to direct a Mace Windu movie, but we’ll just have to wait and see if that ever happens.
In the meantime, Christensen is already living his Star Wars comeback dream, having recently reprised Anakin in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka, and he’s confirmed to return again for Ahsoka Season 2.
