Liam Neeson says Disney 'can’t afford him' for Star Wars’ Obi Wan Kenobi series

Liam Neeson, who played the lead role of Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars prequel, has denied that he will be associated with the franchise anymore. The actor shared that he will not make an appearance in the upcoming TV series on Obi-Wan Kenobi, which will start streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

Liam had visited the sets of Jimmy Kimmel Live, when he was asked about the series. “They don’t have enough money,” stated the actor in a quirky manner.

Post his response, Jimmy and the audience wondered if the actor was lying about not making an appearance in the series, despite being one of the lead characters in Star Wars. The host even went ahead and said that Liam is such a good actor that he could very well be lying to them.

However, the actor further clarified, “I heard Ewan McGregor was gonna do a series.” He added, “No, I don’t think so. No, I haven’t been approached.”

For the uninitiated, Qui-Gon Jinn played the Jedi master to Obi-Wan Kenobi. The latter then taught Luke Skywalker, who became one of the best Jedi in the (Star Wars) Universe.

While Qui-Gon died at the hands of Darth Maul, many characters were brought back from the past in the form of a ghost. Yoda and Han Solo are the biggest examples of that. Thus, fans expect Liam to also make an appearance on the show, even if it is just brief, considering he had such an important part to play in Obi-Wan’s life.

Hayden Christensen will mark his return as the lead antagonist - The Darth Vader. Meanwhile, Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Pieese will also be making a comeback as Luke’s adoptive parents.

Liam was promoting his upcoming film The Ice Road on Jimmy Kimmel Live.