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Star Wars: Liam Neeson Wants To Return As Qui-Gon Jinn (Exclusive)

‘Taken 3’ star Liam Neeson told Yahoo he wants to play Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn again in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, and has offered his thoughts on THAT lightsaber from the ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ trailer.

We asked the 62-year-old actor whether he’d be up for a spin-off film featuring his character (watch the video above) and he told us, “Yeah, I’d say so. Yeah, that would be terrific.”

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“I certainly loved shooting the prequel [‘Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace’] but that was many years ago now.”

Fans of the series will remember that Qui-Gon met a grisly fate at the hands of Darth Maul in ‘Phantom Menace’, which Neeson concedes could make his return tricky.

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“I don’t know [how he would return], unless you went back in time or he becomes a hologram or something. He’s a Jedi, anything could happen, it’s Star Wars world!”

A character’s death didn’t stop Alec Guinness from returning as Obi-Wan Kenobi twice in the original trilogy, but if Qui-Gon were to return, it seems more likely to happen in the planned spin-off films than the saga stories which begin later this year with ‘The Force Awakens’.

Neeson says he’s watched the first trailer for ‘Episode VII’ but he has some concerns over the practicality of the cross-blade lightsaber wielded by the mysterious Kylo Ren in the 88-second teaser.

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“I had a couple of worries about that lightsaber. I thought if it comes in [towards the body] and is close to you, it’s like having a jet of [burning] fluid hitting your clothes and your skin, but I’m sure they’ve thought that out.”

“[Qui-Gon] would use the nice green one still. I still have it, I keep it polished.”

Time seems to have clouded Neeson’s memories of ‘The Phantom Menace’ as the actor publicly declared he was quitting acting in 1999 after shooting George Lucas’ first ‘Star Wars’ prequel.

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"I’m getting out, I’m retiring from movies next year. Honest to God, I’m not happy doing it - I don’t want to do it anymore," he told reporters.

"Film is a director’s medium, it has nothing to do with actors. We are basically puppets, walking around, hitting marks, saying lines.”

Thankfully, his promise to leave acting didn’t last long and he’s since gone on to become an action star in his 60s.

‘Taken 3’, the latest instalment in his hit revenge series, is in cinemas from today. Watch a trailer below.

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Image credits: 20th Century Fox/Disney