Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson Surprise Fans at ‘Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith’ Screening

“Star Wars” fans who attended a 20th anniversary screening of “Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith” in Los Angeles Friday were treated to a major surprise when franchise stars Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson showed up, lightsabers in tow.

Christensen, who returned to the franchise as Darth Vader in the TV shows “Kenobi” and “Ahsoka,” spoke to attendees first. In reference to the third prequel and sixth film, Christensen noted, “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.”

Christensen was about to continue speaking when he was interrupted by Jackson, who said, “Hold on, Skywalker” from offstage. “This party ain’t even over.”

After audience cheers, Jackson said, “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.”

“I hope you enjoy the effort that went into this and watching me do my ‘I move almost all backwards’ fight with Palpatine,” Jackson added. “Before my unexpected exit. And for the record — Mace lives!”

Jackson has insisted his character, who was launched out of a building by Emperor Palpatine, survived the fall and could return for any new “Star Wars” film or series. Unfortunately, it appears Mace Windu is officially dead according to the powers that be.

Earlier this month, Christensen told Complex at Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo he has enjoyed the opportunity to explore the “more heroic” side of Vader through the Disney+ shows. “I think my understanding of the character is just continuing to grow. We’re getting to sort of explore different sides of Anakin, which I’m really enjoying,” he said.

“And I’m just enjoying the journey, you know. It’s a very complex character and there’s a lot going on. But I’m really loving getting to sort of play the more heroic side of the character in the Ahsoka show. I’m very excited for season two.”

The second season of “Ahsoka” went into development in January. The first season of the series concluded in October 2023.

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