Liam Neeson Would Return To The Role Of Qui-Gon Jinn On One Condition
Although the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy came to a close back in 2019 with "Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker," the galaxy far, far away is only getting bigger on Disney+. The studio is committed to exploring different heroes and villains on the small screen in original TV shows — with similar budgets to the adventures on the big screen. "The Mandalorian" proved that live-action "Star Wars" can exist in a smaller space without compromising its quality, and with shows like "The Book Boba Fett" and "Ahsoka" bringing fan favorite characters to the limelight, Disney+ has created for some of the biggest "Star Wars" stories outside of the Skywalker Saga.
The return of the heroes from "The Clone Wars" animated show, such as Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and lovable Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) has only led to fans clamoring to see more characters come back from the prequel era of the franchise. In fact, many would like to see Liam Neeson reprise his role as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in live-action.
That said, the "Batman Begins" and "Taken" star recently revealed what it would take for him to pick up his green lightsaber again.
Liam Neeson would only come back for a movie, not a Disney+ series
Liam Neeson hasn't physically played Qui-Gon Jinn since 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" — which introduces the Jedi for the first time, alongside a young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). In fact, it's Jinn that recognizes Anakin Skywalker's (Jake Lloyd) talents with the Force and suggests that he be trained as a Jedi ... so technically, feel free to blame Qui-Gon for the destruction of the Jedi Order and the deaths of all those younglings.
But with the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series coming to Disney+ on May 27, many fans have wondered whether Neeson will show up for a cameo as a Force ghost, or in a flashback to Kenobi's younger days. The folks at ComicBook.com asked Neeson whether he'd be up for reprising his role, and the star explained that he's only interested in returning if it was for the big screen. "Oh, I think so, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so ... if it was a film. Yeah, I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to TV, I must admit, I just like the big screen, you know?"
Now it's entirely possible that this is just some clever misdirection from Neeson, Lucasfilm, and Disney+. After all, we've just had a year of Andrew Garfield denying that he's in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and look how that played out. Alternatively, Neeson could be telling the truth. Either way, he has fond memories of the role. "Qui-Gon, I can't believe it's 24 years since we made The Phantom Menace," he said, "I just cannot believe where the time has gone. It was a terrific experience, shooting that film in London."
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" arrives on Disney+ on May 27.