In the making of theStar Warsprequel trilogy, there were a lot of hard decisionsGeorge Lucashad to make about what would be cut and what would stay, and new revelations prove that this was an even more painstaking process with the sheer volume of what had already been shot. TheStar Warsprequel trilogy’s deleted scenesare well known amongst fans, particularly those that concern Padmé Amidala helping to create the earliest version of theRebel Alliance. Apparently, however, these are far from the only deleted scenes that exist from the prequel trilogy.
In speaking withChris Castellani,Star Warsstunt coordinator Nick Gillard revealed just how much unused footage from Lucas' prequel trilogy exists.He insisted that there are “three more movies in footage” from scenes that were cut, fromStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menaceall the way toStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. He described them as “shed-loads of stuff,” with one such scene including a set of the Gungans' home inThe Phantom Menacethat was “one of the best sets [he’s] ever seen on Star Wars.”
Lucas' Cut Footage Includes An Alternate “Battle Of The Heroes”
How Was This Duel Supposed To End?
The alternate version of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s famous “Battle of the Heroes” duel is something of legend, but here, Gillard goes into depth into what audiences originally could have seen in the Jedi brothers' showdown. This version was even more intense than what made the final cut, with Anakin nearly managing to kill Obi-Wan on the bank rather than him ignoring Obi-Wan’s warning about the high ground.It involved Anakin aiming with his lightsaber to cut off Obi-Wan’s head, which he then deflected to dismember Anakin the way he does in the final film.
Gillard: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, ‘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. It worked beautifully, because neither of them could see each other, just for a second as they were turning. The upshot was that Obi went through his arms, and through his legs in the same move, a diagonal…
It’s unclear why exactly this decision was changed forRevenge of the Sith, though it could very well be that this was either too intense for the movie’s younger audience or simply because Lucas wanted to lengthen the duel by having them float along the lava river for a while. Either way, this would have been a truly riveting way to end this duel, particularly because it would have risen the stakes for Obi-Wan considerably just before Anakin’s defeat. Of course, the final result audiences ended up getting is still just as revered as it should be.
Will Lucasfilm Ever Release A “Special Edition” Of The Prequels?
It’s Unlikely, But Not Impossible
While Lucasfilm certainly has enough footage to do special editions of the prequels as Lucas did for the original trilogy, this is unlikely, given Lucas' original motivation behind them.The special editions for the original trilogy were meant to help Lucas fulfill the vision he had for those movies when the technology to make it happen simply didn’t exist yet, as well as some other changes he simply wanted to make. This wouldn’t be the case with theStar Warsprequel trilogy, considering Lucas both had the technology and was at the helm of all three movies.
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Regardless, it would be an absolute delight to see this footage one day. The deleted scenes we already have are treasured deeply, and there’s no doubt receiving even more would create a wave of gratitude and excitement in response. At the end of the day, it’s up toStar Warsto decide whether they want to share pieces of the three extra movies Lucas created during the prequel trilogy or not.
Source:Chris Castellani/YouTube
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
