Liam Neeson Says 'Star Wars' Is Hurt By 'So Many Spinoffs'

Actor Liam Neeson is best known for portraying Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in “The Phantom Menace.”

Since that time, he has frequently been asked if he would ever return to reprise the role in the future. Although he did make a brief cameo appearance in the Disney+ series “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series finale, it looks like Star Wars fans shouldn’t expect the 70-year-old actor to star in his own Disney+ series any time soon.

In a recent interview on “Watch What Happens Live!” Neeson told host Andy Cohen that he felt that there were too many Star Wars spinoffs out there that was “diluting” the franchise.

When asked if he was interested in returning, Neeson replied, “No I’m not,” adding, “There’s so many spinoffs of ‘Star Wars.’ It’s diluting it to me, and it’s taken away the mystery and the magic in a weird way.”

Last year, ahead of his short appearance in “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Neeson told ComicBook.com that he’d consider reprising his role as Qui-Gon Jinn if he appeared in a movie, not a television show. When asked about a potential return to a galaxy far, far away, Neeson said, “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,” he added. “I just like the big screen, you know? Qui-Gon, I can’t believe it’s 24 years since we made ‘The Phantom Menace,’ I just cannot believe where the time has gone. It was a terrific experience, shooting that film in London.”

Shortly after the finale of “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Liam Neeson spoke to The Hollywood Reporter and listed multiple reasons as to why he decided to appear in the final minutes of the last episode.

“I certainly didn’t want anyone else playing Qui-Gon Jinn, and I wanted to show my respect for George [Lucas] and that mythical world that he created,” Neeson explained in June 2022. “Plus, Ewan [McGregor] is a pal, and I loved working with him during The Phantom Menace 25 years ago.”

Although the prequel trilogy was not well-received by fans when it was first released, Neeson claims that he has always been a fan of the films.

Back in 2020, Neeson told Andy Cohen on SiriusXM channel Radio Andy that he always liked “The Phantom Menace,” adding, “I am proud of it and proud to have been a part of it. I got to be a Jedi. I got to play with those wonderful lightsabers and stuff. It was terrific, Andy, it really was.”

In a February 2020 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Neeson said that he was done with big-budget films, naming superhero films in particular. “I’m really not a huge fan of the genre,” he said. “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.”

“I admire the actors and I know some of the actors who do it — and do it fantastically,” he continued. “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.”

However, it looks like Neeson hasn’t given up on franchises entirely. In October 2022, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Liam Neeson was in talks to star in a reboot of “The Naked Gun” comedy film franchise.

Plot details regarding the reboot are reportedly being kept under wraps for now, but Family's Guy's Seth MacFarlane will be producing the film under the Fuzzy Door Banner.

Liam Neeson has yet to be officially attached to the project, which currently has no scheduled release date.