Liam Neeson Reveals If He’s In The Obi-Wan Kenobi Series
Liam Neeson finally confirmed whether or not he's set to appear in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series premiering on Disney+
This article is more than 2 years old
With the Star Wars franchise ramping up its offerings on Disney+ which will both introduce new characters as well as bring back some old ones, there’s been increasing speculation about who would actually make his/ her way back to the screen in some fashion. One of those folks had been Liam Neeson and questions abounded about whether he’d end up reprising his Qui Gon Jinn role we saw from the prequel trilogy. Neeson was able to come out with definitive news on this front. While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Neeson was clear to say he wasn’t coming back in the role.
The question around Liam Neeson returning in some fashion as Qui Gon Jinn had to do with the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+. Kimmel asked him point-blank whether he’d be coming back as the character to which Neeson said, maybe only half-jokingly, “They (LucasFilm) don’t have enough money…” He went on to say that he had never even been approached to do anything in the role. This feels like a clear answer on whether he’d return to his Jedi ways in this limited series.
Some had speculated we could see Liam Neeson back in the Jedi fold considering he had been such a critical part of Obi-Wan’s training as well as the discovery of Anakin Skywalker, vital in bringing the latter into the fold. But the issue was, of course, that Qui Gon Jinn died at the end of Episode I – The Phantom Menace, losing in a duel to Darth Maul. That being said, it’s been out there that Gon Jinn has the ability to become a Force spirit meaning we could have gotten him in that sense, or through flashbacks for the main character.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will tell the story of the titular character in the time following the events of Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and leading up to when we catch up with the character in Episode IV – A New Hope. Though Liam Neeson isn’t going to return, some other familiar faces will be in the mix here. Of course, Ewan McGregor will star as the titular character. And Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Darth Vader, easily one of the more exciting developments for the series which is set to pit these two against each other once again.
And sure, no Liam Neeson, but other notables who are joining the cast include Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse as Owen and Beru Lars, Luke’s adoptive parents who watch over the young Jedi while Obi-Wan keeps quiet protection as well. There’s also Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Moses Ingram, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma rounding out a packed cast.
As for Liam Neeson, the iconic actor has signaled he’s winding down his career though the production list over the next couple of years points to something different. He’s currently promoting The Ice Road in which he plays a trucker on a rescue mission to save folks trapped in a mine. Plus he’s in post-production on Blacklight and is filming Memory. There’s also Retribution, Marlowe, and Charlie Johnson in the Flames. So, no more Star Wars for the actor, but plenty of other films are in the works.
