Here’s Why Liam Neeson Will Never Reprise His ‘Star Wars’ Role as Qui-Gon Jinn
Fans who were hoping to see a Force ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn in the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series might be disappointed. Let’s take a look at why Liam Neeson will never be in another Star Wars movie or television show.
How many ‘Star Wars’ movies was Liam Neeson in?
Neeson began his Star Wars career with Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace in 1999. The film came after a sixteen-year hiatus of Star Wars movies. It was surrounded by extensive media coverage and anticipation by fans. However, it had mixed reviews from both critics and fans.
Neeson’s character, Qui-Gon Jinn, died in the film, but that doesn’t mean Lucasfilm didn’t try to have him come back in several other movies. A recording of his voice is also in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, and he was supposed to be in Episode III Revenge of the Sith. However, he did not appear due to an injury.
The star did reprise his role in several episodes of The Clone Wars animated series. Neeson also made a voice cameo during the latest film, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. However, he does not want to return again.
Why doesn’t Liam Neeson ever want to return to ‘Star Wars?’
In a recent interview with ET Online, Neeson was asked if he would return to the superhero world. The actor has strong feelings about superheroes and Star Wars.
“I’m really not a huge fan of the genre,” Neeson told ET. “I think it’s Hollywood with all the bells and whistles and the technical achievements and stuff — which I admire –but I have no desire to go into the gym for three hours every day to pump myself up to squeeze into a Velcro suit with a cape.”
The star went on to say that he feels the same way about superheroes that he does about Star Wars.
“It’s just not my genre, it really isn’t,” he continued. “The first Star Wars, I was in that, that was 22 years ago, and I enjoyed that because it was novel and that was new. I was acting to tennis balls, which were ultimately going to be little fuzzy furry creatures and stuff. That was interesting, acting-wise, to try and make that seem real, but that was the last. It’s quite exhausting.”
Although he found it interesting to work on the Star Wars films, he has no desire to return.
What is the new Obi-Wan Kenobi Series about?
After the success of The Mandalorian series on Disney+, fans all want to know when the next new show is coming. The Kenobi series, starring Ewan McGregor, will not be launching until early 2021; however, fans cannot stop talking about it.
“The storyline sits between Episode III and Episode IV,” McGregor told Men’s Journal.
This timeline means that we will get to know Obi-Wan Kenobi before we meet him in A New Hope as Uncle Ben, who is watching over Luke on Tatooine. Qui-Gon Jinn could not be in the series unless he comes back as a Force ghost since he died before the story begins.
At least we won’t miss Neeson in the series since it wouldn’t make sense for him to be in it very often anyway.
