Star Wars: Liam Neeson says he would be ‘up for’ return to franchise in Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series

Actor played Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn in the first Star Wars prequel

Liam Neeson has expressed an interest in returning to the Star Wars universe in Disney+'s forthcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

The Irish actor played Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn in 1999’s Episode I: The Phantom Menace, who was responsible for training Obi-Wan, played by Ewan McGregor.

McGregor is set to reprise the role in the new streaming series, with Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen also returning.

When asked about the calls from Star Wars fans to bring back the character of Qui-Gon, Neeson told Collider: “I'll be honest with you: I haven't heard that at all.”

After being assured that there was indeed demand from fans for him to return, Neeson said: “Sure, I'd be up for that, yeah.”

Neeson’s character was killed at the end of Phantom Menace but was later revealed to live on as a “Force ghost” – leaving the door open for the character to be revived in some form. 

In the same interview, the Schindler’s List star expressed doubt about the future of the Star Wars franchise, saying: “I’m sort of wondering, is Star Wars starting to fade away from the cinema landscape? Do we think?”

As well as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Disney has several other Star Wars projects in development, including a third season of The Mandalorian, a Boba Fett spin-off series, and a film from Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi.