In the preparation of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, there were a lot of difficult decisions George Lucas had to make about what would be cut and what would stay, and new revelations prove that it was an even more painstaking process with the sheer volume of what was already shot. The Star Wars The deleted scenes from the prequel trilogy are well known among fans, especially those concerned with Padmé Amidala helping to create the earliest version of the Rebel Alliance. Of course, though, these are far from the only deleted scenes that exist from the prequel trilogy.
In talking with Chris Castellani, Star Wars Stunt coordinator Nick Gillard revealed just how much unused footage from Lucas’ prequel trilogy. He stated that there are “Three more movies in footage” of scenes that were cutof Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace All the way to Star 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 in The Phantom Menace it was”One of the best sets [he’s] Ever seen on Star Wars.”
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 a legend, but here, Gillard goes in depth into what audiences might have originally 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 bench rather than him ignoring Obi-Wan’s warning about the high ground. It involved Anakin aiming his lightsaber to cut off Obi-Wan’s headWhich he then deflects to separate Anakin as he does in the final film.
Gillard: They came up with the big mast that fell over, they swung and landed on something floating on the lava…, p. They didn’t go, they landed on the bench. They landed from the swing, they landed on the bench. Immediately we have him grab him by the neck, Anakin grabs Obi by the neck, he arms him, his lightsaber is on the floor, he’s like: “I’m really sorry, I have to kill you” and leaves. His candlestick. To cut off the head, and Obi – in a defensive move – turns out of it, summons his lightsaber to deflect the blow that comes to his head, in the turn goes through Anakin’s arms. It worked beautifully, because none of them could see each other, except for a second when they turned. The result was that Obi passed through his arms, and through his legs in the same stroke, a diagonal…
It is unclear what exactly this decision was changed for Revenge of the SithAlthough it could very well be that this is either too intense for the movie’s younger audience or simply because Lucas wanted to prolong the duel by having them float along the lava river for a while. Either way, it would have been a really riveting way to end the duel, especially since it would have raised the stakes for Obi-Wan significantly just before Anakin’s defeat. Of course, the final result audiences ended up with is still just as revered as it should be.
Will Lucasfilm ever release a “special edition” of the prequels?
It is unlikely, but not impossible
Although Lucasfilm certainly has enough footage to make 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 the movies when the technology to make it happen didn’t exist yet.As well as some other changes he simply wanted to make. This would not be the case with the US Star Wars prequel 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 joy to see this footage one day. The deleted scenes we already have are the cheapest, and there is no doubt that getting even more would create a wave of gratitude and excitement in response. At the end of the day, it’s up to Star Wars To decide whether or not they want to share pieces of the three extra movies Lucas created during the prequel trilogy.
Source: Chris Castellani/ YouTube