Yet more amazing news for Star Wars fans emerging from Anaheim, with the latest tidbit dropped by Lucasfilm (via Collider) and Disney, revealing that none other than Liam Neeson is returning to the fold. He’ll be reprising his role as Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars animated series Tales of the Jedi.
The series, which is already in production and actually screened its first episode at Star Wars Celebration, will only feature Neeson in a single episode, with the younger Qui-Gon being voiced by his son. While it’s not a complete return to Jedi action for Neeson, it does give me hope that perhaps we’ll see Neeson show up as a Jedi ghost version of Qui-Gon in the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series opposite Ewan McGregor. Neeson has always seemed up for a cameo, and indeed his performance and death at the hands of Darth Maul is among the most acclaimed moments in the prequel trilogy.
Tales of the Jedi will, as the title suggest, tell previously untold stories out of the Jedi lore, with the Qui-Gon instalment following his tutelage by Count Dooku before the latter turned evil. Too bad Christopher Lee is no longer with us, but I’m sure they’ll cast someone interesting in his place.
If there was one message to emerge from Star Wars Celebration, it’s this – the future of Star Wars is bright, but, for the time being, that future is on the small screen via Disney Plus. While, like many fans, I yearn for a return of big-screen Star Wars movies, I also have no problem with the brain trust at Lucasfilm waiting until they get things right.
Are you excited for Liam Neeson to reprise Qui-Gon Jinn in Tales of the Jedi? Let us know in the comments!