Interesting …
A while back I did something similar for JAWS and JAWS 2. I zoomed in to remove the black bars, Reframed and cropped almost every shot to make fullscreen versions for my extended cuts. I had no choice, as the TV cuts for JAWS and JAWS 2 contain (still unreleased) deleted scenes only presented in 4:3. I used the early 2000s DVDs, at the time.
Might have to go back and do it all over again - but this time - use the BD releases. I’d got lucky with JAWS, the fullscreen 2000 JAWS DVD release saved me a lot of work.
It’s a b**tard of a job, going through each shot and reframing it (I used iMovie). Still, if you want a nice-looking fullscreen version of a film, it’s the only way to go. Old laserdisc and videotape releases just don’t cut it quality-wise.
Are you planning on doing the same for the other two prequels - or any of the other STAR WARS films?