Liam Neeson says he's "too f---ing old" to return to Star Wars

The one and only time Liam Neeson appeared in the Star Wars franchise for an entire movie was 25 years ago in The Phantom Menace, the first movie in the prequel trilogy. His role as Jedi knight Qui-Gon Jinn was one of the standout performances in the film, and despite meeting his demise at the hands of Darth Maul, fans have always hoped for Neeson to someday reprise his role.

Recent Star Wars shows on Disney+ have featured cast members from the prequels. Most notably, Ewan McGregor reprised his iconic portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi for his own series. Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader) appeared in both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka. These appearances went down brilliantly among fans.

Even Liam Neeson has returned as Qui-Gon Jinn, albeit in a lesser capacity. Most notably, he appeared as a Force Ghost in an episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+. He also took up voice acting duties for Tales of the Jedi. These cameos were very welcome, but ultimately, that's all they are; just fun, cameo appearances.

As for more fully-fledged adventures with Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, the actor has ruled out future live-action appearances completely. "I enjoyed very much being with Ewan and George Lucas on The Phantom Menace," the 71-year-old actor told Screen Rant. "We shot that 26 years ago! Would I do it again? I don't think so. Too f---ing old, ya know? I can't see the situation, I really can't, you know?"

As Disney continues to develop the animated side of Star Wars, we could see Neeson return to voice act again. Tales of the Jedi season 2 is scheduled to release later this year, although Neeson hasn't revealed whether he has a role in the new season. We can hope so. It'd be great to see him deliver more performances in the galaxy far, far away, but if he feels the journey is over, we can respect that too.

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