Liam Neeson Says ‘Star Wars’ Is Being Hurt by ‘So Many Spinoffs’: ‘It’s Taken Away the Mystery and the Magic’

Liam Neeson gets asked in almost every interview if he would reprise his role of Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn in a “Star Wars” spinoff. The answer is often no, and such was the case when Neeson joined Paul Rudd on the Feb. 16 episode of “Watch What Happens Live!” But Neeson took things a step further, explaining that his reason for not wanting to reprise Qui-Gon Jinn is because the “Star Wars” franchise is damaging its own magic.

“No, I’m not,” Neeson said when asked if he’s interested in returning. “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.”

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Neeson had a brief cameo in the Disney+ series “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” but he only had about two lines of dialogue. The actor made his “Star Wars” debut in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” but his character died and his “Star Wars” tenure was cut short. Neeson told ComicBook.com last year that he’d consider reprising Qui-Gon Jinn under one condition: It’s got to be a movie, not a television show.

“Oh, I think so, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so…if it was a film,” Neeson said then about a potential “Star Wars” return. “Yeah, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to TV, I must admit. 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.”

Neeson isn’t wrong when he says the “Star Wars” franchise has been inundated with spinoffs. On the big screen, Lucasfilm has released “Rogue One” and “Solo” outside of its main Skywalker saga. The franchise has expanded greatly on Disney+ with shows such as “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Andor” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” having aired. Upcoming series include “The Mandalorian” season 3, which launches March 1, plus “Ashoka” and “The Acolyte.”

Watch Neeson’s full interview on “Watch What Happens Live!” in the video below.

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