Don’t expect Liam Neeson to reprise his role as Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn in a Star Wars spinoff anytime soon. During his recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Neeson blasted the franchise’s expansion strategy for “diluting” the brand.
“No, I’m not,” Neeson said in response to being asked if he was interested in doing a Disney+ show. “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.”
Though Neeson admitted “it was nice” to briefly reunite with Ewan McGregor for the Disney+ spinoff Obi-Wan Kenobi, it probably had something to do with the easy paycheck. “I had three lines to say, two lines,” he said. “And that was cool. I loved it. That’s it.”
Watch Neeson’s full comments about Star Wars below.
Neeson made his Star Wars debut with 1999’s The Phantom Menace, and previously had said he was only interested in picking up the lightsaber again if it was for a movie. “I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to TV, I must admit,” he told ComicBook.com last year. “I just like the big screen.”
To Neeson’s point, the Star Wars franchise has expanded greatly on Disney+ with shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Andor, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The streamer isn’t done yet, either, with Ahsoka and The Acolyte on the way.
As for Neeson, he’s set to star in a new Naked Gun film from The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer.
