Liam Neeson Wants to Return to Star Wars as Qui-Gon Jinn

In the years since Disney purchased Lucasfilm, the Star Wars saga has brought back a number of characters and a number of performers in a variety of ways, and while there’s no confirmed plan in place for Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn to return, the actor is interested in the idea, but with a slight catch. Despite all of the accomplishments the franchise has been making on the small screen, the actor noted that he’d like to reprise the role, though would rather do so on the big screen than in one of the many Disney+ series.

“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?” Neeson confirmed with ComicBook.com about a possible return while speaking about his new film Memory. “Qui-Gon, I can’t believe it’s 24 years since we made [Star Wars:] The Phantom Menace, I just cannot believe where the time has gone. It was a terrific experience, shooting that film in London.”  

The Phantom Menace also featured the debut of Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, who is set to make his return in the upcoming Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi series, with that character’s connection to Qui-Gon resulting in rumors that we could see the Jedi Master making an appearance in the new story. While it’s entirely possible Neeson did, in fact, return to the galaxy far, far away for Obi-Wan Kenobi, his candid remarks about preferring the big screen seems to cast doubt on such an appearance happening in the upcoming narrative.

While Neeson sounds as though he’d be open to having a small part in a big-screen adventure, he seems to have finished his tenure in a fantasy series, having shared in 2020 that his main draw for a major franchise was the new experiences, which no longer apply to Star Wars.

“I’ll be honest with you, no. It’s not. I’m really not a huge fan of the genre. 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,” Neeson previously revealed to Entertainment Tonight of another big-budget franchise appealing to him. “I admire the actors and I know some of the actors who do it — and do it fantastically. It’s just not my genre, it really isn’t. 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.”  

Stay tuned for details on Qui-Gon’s possible return to the franchise. Memory will be landing in theaters on April 29th.

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