Could Liam Neeson still be approached to play Qui-Gon Jinn in the future?
Now is the greatest time in the entertainment world for a “come-back season.” Not a comeback as in, you’ve been gone for so long and now it’s time to return bigger and better than ever. But more like: “Please come back to this character. It’s been more than a few years, and all of the sudden, we want more.”
Star Wars has already given way to this trend with the return of Luke, Leia, and Han in the Star Wars sequels. And now, they’re going even further with that idea by having Ewan McGregor return to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in his own Disney+ series. With this continuing, it feels like there’s no limit to the number of actors who can return to play their character in another movie or even TV show. So what about Obi-Wan Kenobi’s own mentor, Qui-Gon Jinn, played by Liam Neeson?
Luckily, Neeson recently talked to Collider to reveal if anything could be in the works with him returning to the Star Wars universe. And, well, we’ll let Neeson speak for himself:
"I’ve done the voice for Qui-Gon Jinn in a couple of the animated versions of it. I can’t remember the names of them. Myself and Sam Jackson did our Jedi knights for those. I think I did two of them. But on film, I haven’t been approached, no. I haven’t really been following them, to be honest. I don’t know if they’ve come to an end. I heard they did a film of Harrison [Ford]’s character, Han Solo, and that there was a bit of trouble with that. What do you think? Are Star Wars fans finished with it?"
So, it’s a solid “No” in regards to Neeson being approached by Lucasfilm. Yes, as he indicated in his answer, he has reprised his role in some ways in the past. But as far as more recent or upcoming Lucasfilm projects go, there’s been no contact yet. To be clear, if we’re really being picky, he said he hadn’t been approached to return on “film.” In all technicalities, that means it wouldn’t leave out the option of him returning for a TV series, but it really doesn’t sound like he’d be invested in that.
Plus, it looks like he’s really not that eager to keep up with the Star Wars franchise. And truly, to each, his own. But the more interesting statement from his response is “Are Star Wars fans finished with it?” And to that, it seems like most Star Wars fans would have to respond “absolutely not.”
Going off of his statement, even if Solo was not as strong as most thought it’d be, there are still so many invested Star Wars fans. And if he only knew what was in store in the future (as far as more movies and Disney+ series), he’d see that Star Wars isn’t over just yet. And, in fact, we’re sure fans would still love to see him return as Qui-Gon Jinn because his character and the movies still mean that much to fans.
Collider was able to defend that idea, saying that with the Disney+ series, fans have options when it comes to finding something that suits them in the fandom. And Neeson did agree with that. So, even though he hasn’t been approached now, with Star Wars going full-throttle with spinoff series and the likes, it really seems like Neeson could be approached at some point to return. Plus, if fans really want this to happen, Lucasfilm just may have to listen.
Would you like Liam Neeson to reprise his role as Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars universe? Let us know in the comments.