Liam Neeson Interested to Return as Qui-Gon Jinn in 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Standalone Movie

By Vianne Ilagan, Christian Post Contributor Wednesday, January 17, 2018

The "Obi-Wan Kenobi" movie is still in the very early stages of development, but casting reports are already starting to surface. Earlier this week, actor Liam Neeson revealed that he would love to return to the franchise as Qui-Gon Jinn, who died in "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace."

While promoting his latest film, "The Commuter," reporters asked Neeson about the possibility of reprising his role as Qui-Gon Jinn in the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" movie. According to the actor, neither Disney nor Lucasfilm has reached out to him to talk about the project, but he's interested to make a comeback. In fact, Neeson said that he was surprised to know that the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" movie was in development. "This is the first time I'm hearing of this. No one's been in touch with me. I know in the 'Star Wars' world anything is possible," he said in an interview with Yahoo News UK.

Neeson is not the only actor currently being linked to the project. Speculations are rife that Lucasfilm might tap Ewan McGregor to portray Obi-Wan again, especially since he looks remarkably similar to the character. Just like Neeson, however, the actor said he had not heard anything from the studio regarding the standalone "Obi-Wan Kenobi" movie.

Meanwhile, if Neeson will return as Qui-Gon Jinn in the film, his character might return in the form of a Force Ghost. In "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan's mentor, failed to make it out alive. This detail about his character is something that Neeson is considering when it comes to returning for the standalone movie. "In the first one, 'The Phantom Menace,' I died but we know, you know, Jedi come back and stuff but no one's been in touch. We'll see," he said.

In the "Star Wars" saga, it was Qui-Gon who taught Yoda that it's possible to live beyond death. Considering that, it's possible that Neeson's character could have a presence in the solo "Obi-Wan Kenobi" film.