Now, it’s interesting to see how the existence of this version of the 1999 movie came to light. Jake Lloyd, the man who played Anakin Skywalker, was the one to drop the bombshell in an interview way back in 2011. When asked about his preferences when it comes to alternate cuts of The Phantom Menace, the actor nonchalantly replied he wanted to watch “the original, six-hour cut.”
Lloyd also shared that he never got to watch the long version of the film. “If you ever get the chance to talk to Matthew Wood, the guy who did the voice of Grievous, he was one of the first people to watch the six-hour cut and said it was mind-blowingly awesome,” the actor said.
Lucasfilm has not released this mysterious version, much to the demand of fans. Maybe it’s because of some critics and regular movie watches would exclaim that a longer runtime of The Phantom Menace is just too much.
Image credit: Lucasfilm/20th Century