Who came up with this? Until 2005, Star Wars fans could only imagine the fateful lightsaber duel that ended in Anakin Skywalker’s physical transformation into Darth Vader. But when it finally happened on screen in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith , what we got was both massive and strangely muddled. Anakin and Obi-Wan floating around on platforms in lava is perhaps the best microcosm for what’s great and terrible about the prequels; the idea feels like something awesome you’d have your action figures do , but the execution is questionable.
Who’s responsible for the strange way Anakin and Obi-Wan’s lightsaber duel was filmed ? According to a new interview with stunt coordinator Nick Gillard, the infamous moment when Obi-Wan has “the high ground” over Anakin was potentially suggested by Steven Spielberg, not George Lucas. The rumor that Spielberg may have secretly orchestrated Anakin and Obi-Wan’s showdown has persisted for a while. But do these claims have any legitimacy? A deep dive into Star Wars history reveals just how complicated making Revenge of the Sith truly was.
Spielberg’s Revenge of the Sith contributions, explained Spielberg and Lucas in 1978. Since 2005, before Revenge of the Sith even hit theaters, Star Wars insiders were making it clear that George Lucas’s old pal, Steven Spielberg, had helped with several aspects of the movie. According to longtime Star Wars historian J.
W. Rinzler : “[George Lucas] gave Spielberg a few scenes to play with.