Return of the Jedi? Samuel L. Jackson wants "one more run" as Mace Windu in Star Wars

There’s always one hard and fast rule in showbiz: Never go back. Samuel L. Jackson, though, is saying to hell with the rules, he wants his purple lightsaber. Yep, that’s right, the actor who’s played some of the coolest cats around – everything from Nick Fury in some of the best superhero movies around, to even bible-quoting assassins – wants another shot at playing Mace Windu at Star Wars.

When asked by Stephen Colbert on the Late Show (at 8:40 above) whether he’s open to reprising one of his iconic roles, the actor was surprisingly candid. Jackson’s reply will surely stir the midichlorians of even the most lapsed Star Wars fan: “I’d really love to get one more run at Mace Windu in Star Wars.”

Now isn’t the worst time for Jackson to get back on the Mace Windu comeback trail, either. The Disney streaming service is opening up new avenues for exciting stories from a galaxy far, far away, while spin-offs such as Solo: A Star Wars Story is proof enough that Original Trilogy deaths aren’t always permanent.

For those of you who have Force-wiped the Original Trilogy from their minds, a Mace Windu return, while not impossible, isn’t particularly practical. After all, the last time we saw the purple Jedimaster, he was getting cooked medium-rare by Palpatine in a climactic Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith scene. Windu was then thrown into the Coruscant skyline and never heard from again.

But what if he’s still out there? Even a prequel story with some Captain Marvel-style de-aging wouldn’t go amiss. Either way, Jackson has thrown his hat into the ring and, hopefully, the stars could one day align for a Mace Windu return – even if it’d be one of the most unlikely Star Wars comeback stories this side of Darth Maul.

Sam Jackson might not be showing up anytime soon, but there's plenty of new Star Wars movies to get excited about all the same.