Star Wars: Liam Neeson Casts Doubt on Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ Series Involvement

While Lucasfilm has a number of Star Wars Disney+ series in the works such as The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Andor, one of the most anticipated from a fan perspective has to be the Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor.

In addition to McGregor's reprisal, young Owen Lars' Joel Edgerton and Anakin Skywalker's Hayden Christensen are set to return in this limited series.

But, now that filming is underway, hope remains that they won't be the only prequel-era stars returning to that galaxy far, far away. 

LIAM NEESON ADDRESSES KENOBI DISNEY+ RUMORS

In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Liam Neeson denied his involvement in the upcoming Obi-Wan series saying, "I haven't been approached:"

"Yes, I heard Ewan McGregor was going to do a series. Um, no. I don't think so. No, I haven't been approached."

In The Phantom Menace, Neeson played Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn who first discovered young Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine. Qui-Gon Jinn actually asked Obi-Wan to train Anakin, leading to their tragic relationship that fans are expecting to see revisited on Disney+. 

When Kimmel commented on the fact that Neeson is a great actor and could easily be lying, Neeson only laughed and gave a small shrug. 

IS IT A NEW HOPE FOR QUI-GON JINN?

While it certainly sounds like it's a no-go for Qui-Gon in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, it's difficult to know what to believe considering actors connected to tent pole franchises often lie about their involvement. 

After all, Ewan McGregor himself denied the existence of a Kenobi project on various occasions, only admitting the truth when it was officially announced by Lucasfilm.

Furthermore, in early 2021, Neeson even said he'd be "up for" making his grand Star Wars return in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Bringing back Neeson as Qui-Gonn would be difficult considering the Jedi was killed by Darth Maul at the end of The Phantom Menace. If the actor did a cameo for the series, it would have to be limited to the form of a Force ghost. 

But, fans have held out hope for this possibility since Qui-Gonn was one of the first Jedi to achieve this ability and appeared to Yoda during Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It would also make sense for Obi-Wan to learn about this practice from his former master. 

Time will tell if Neeson has his own return of the Jedi moment. In the meantime, this upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series remains the fan base's only hope.