Star Wars: Jar Jar Binks Actor Shoots Down Rumors of Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Involvement

Lucasfilm announced last summer that it was developing a series focusing on Obi-Wan Kenobi for Disney+, though very few details about the project have been confirmed in the months since, but Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best has shot down rumors that he could be involved in the project somehow. Fans do know that the series is set to explore the years between Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope, but with the series having shifted directions a number of times since the initial announcement, it's unclear what the future could hold for the series.

"Not as far as I know, no. I haven't been asked," Best shared with Jamie Stangroom's YouTube channel about being involved in the series. "I just don't know. To be completely honest I think Jar Jar is something Lucasfilm are trying to move away from, I'm not going to hold my breath for a Jar Jar cameo in Obi-Wan but you know, who knows."

Best debuted as Binks in 1999's Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, with his role in each subsequent prequel trilogy film being reduced. In the novel Star Wars Aftermath: Empire's End by Chuck Wendig, which takes place between the events of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a chapter features a character named "Mapo" wandering the streets of Naboo. Mapo meets a street performer who claims he used to be a politician, but as he allowed the Empire to come into power, everyone turned on him, forcing him to resort to becoming a literal clown. This street performer is meant to convey Binks' fate.

Binks has earned a handful of other brief appearances in various corners of the galaxy far, far away, but he has largely been absent from Star Wars stories in recent years. To some fans, Binks represented everything they disliked about the prequel trilogy, given that he was entirely created through the use of CGI and was a much goofier character than audiences were expecting. With 20 years having passed since Binks' debut, more fans have been showing their support for the character, leaving us to wonder if he could somehow return to the franchise in an official capacity.

Earlier this month, the Obi-Wan Kenobi series earned a new writer with Joby Harold, so it's possible the new scripts could see the return of Binks, though the current coronavirus pandemic has stalled any plans of moving forward with the production anytime soon.

Stay tuned for details on the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

Would you like to see Binks show up in the series? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!