Thanks to the birth of Disney+, theStar Warsfranchise has spread in ways that would otherwise have been unthinkable. With no less than around seven projects being worked on at any one time, it’s no wonder that some people get a little lost in exactly where in theStar Warstimeline they currently are sitting. It seems one person having that issue, isLiam Neeson, someone who has actually appeared in the saga back inThe Phantom Menace.
Neeson starred as Qui-Gon Jinn, master to Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first of theStar Warsprequel movies, and considering the character’s ability to use the Force to manifest as a “Force ghost”, it was rumored for a long while that he could be reprising the role in the upcomingObi-Wan Kenobiseries. However, Neeson has dispelled this rumor on more than one occasion, and he has recently revealed in an interview with Collider that he can hardly even keep up with the number of spin-offs being produced by Disney.
“I know there are so many spin-offs,” Neeson said, “I’m a little confused, I must admit. And, you know, when I was in the first one,The Phantom Menace, it was like, ‘Oh, would you sign this for my kid’ and now it’s like ‘Oh would you sign this for my father’ or ‘would you sign this for my grandfather.’ I mean it’s been three generations now since these movies came out.”
He continued, “I remember being in Belfast, in the theater, having a day off and going to see it, the first one, I think it wasEpisode IV, I believe, with Harrison [Ford] and Mark [Hamill] and Carrie [Fisher], of course, and uh, in this packed Belfast cinema, all ages, kids, old people… and seeing this extraordinary film set in outer space, set in different places and stuff – it was just totally unique and incredibly entertaining. Never once did I think I might be a part of it somewhere down the line. But it’s still going strong. There are all these spinoffs, and I’m not surprised there’s a spinoff of Obi-Wan, and the nuance there – I look forward to seeing it, very much.”
There are many who will probably sympathize with Neeson’s confusion, because unless you keep a close ear to the ground it can be easy to lose sight of just what is coming down the line for theStar Warsfranchise. As well as theObi-Wan Kenobiseries, other shows and movies in various stages of production includeThe Book of Boba Fett,The Acolyte, season 3 ofThe Mandalorian,Rogue SquadronandAndor.
Ewan McGregor’sObi-Wan Kenobiis currently filming in the UK, with Hayden Christensen also returning to the franchise to reprise his role as Darth Vader. The series also stars Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Moses Ingram, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, Benny Safdie, and Maya Erskine. Like all of Disney’s newStar Warsspin-off’s,Obi-Wan Kenobiwill stream on Disney+ when it releases next year. This story was first reported fromcomicbook.
