171-811: Jar Jar Binks is a fictional character from the Star Wars saga created by George Lucas . A member of the Gungan race, Jar Jar appears throughout the Star Wars prequel trilogy —as a major character in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and with a supporting role in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith —as well as having
342-441: A YouTube interview, stating, "there is a lot about [the theory] that is true, there are some things about it that are not true... Could Jar Jar have evolved into that? I think the answer is yes. Because of the backlash, and rightfully so, Lucasfilm backed off of Jar Jar a lot, but a lot of the influence that I put into the character mirrored a lot of what was already in the Star Wars universe." Best concluded only Lucas could unveil
513-567: A cult classic and holiday favorite. The following year he portrayed Alfred Kinsey in the biographical drama Kinsey reuniting with Laura Linney and Peter Sarsgaard and John Lithgow . Neeson received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama losing to Leonardo DiCaprio for The Aviator (2004). That year Neeson hosted an episode of the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live . He starred as
684-590: A leading man writing, "Neeson, tall and grand, makes an effortless hero as Rob Roy ". The following year he acted in Neil Jordan 's historical drama Michael Collins (1996) acting alongside Julia Roberts , and Alan Rickman . Neeson portrayed the title role as the Irish revolutionary leading the fight for Irish independence. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it received
855-658: A redneck trucker, Marlon Weaver, in an " Appalachian Emergency Room " sketch and as a hippie in a one-off sketch about two stoners (the other played by Amy Poehler ) who attempt to borrow a police dog to find their lost stash of marijuana. Despite vowing not to play any Irish stereotypes , Neeson did play an Irish man named Lorcan McArdle in the home makeover show parody "You Call This A House, Do Ya?" In 2005, Neeson took multiple roles in mainstream blockbuster films. He portrayed Godfrey of Ibelin in Ridley Scott 's epic adventure Kingdom of Heaven , Ra's al Ghul , one of
1026-503: A severe head injury in a skiing accident at the Mont Tremblant Resort , northwest of Montreal . Neeson donated her organs following her death. Neeson holds Irish and American citizenship, having been naturalised as an American citizen in 2009. He primarily identifies as Irish. After taking up American citizenship, he was adamant he was not turning his back on his Irish roots. In 2009, nearly four decades after he
1197-532: A "classic twist", comparing it to Yoda 's role in The Empire Strikes Back , while Matt Hickey from Forbes went to the extent of contacting George Lucas about the question, but received no answer. In response to the speculations, Best tweeted , "I will say this, it feels really good when the hidden meaning behind the work is seen. No matter how long it takes," apparently confirming the theory. Some months later, he expanded upon his tweet in
1368-680: A "disgrace" in an interview with Emirati newspaper Gulf News when replying to a question about the Charlie Hebdo shootings earlier that month. In response, U.S gun manufacturer Para USA , which provided the prop weapons used by Neeson in the Taken film series, stated: "We will no longer provide firearms for use in films starring Liam Neeson and ask that our friends and partners in Hollywood refrain from associating our brand and products with his projects." In 2014, Neeson protested against
1539-461: A "master actor, who the other actors will look up to, who has got the qualities of strength that the character demands." As the first Star Wars film to be released in 16 years, it was surrounded by media anticipation. Neeson's connection to Star Wars started in the Crown Bar , Belfast . He told Ricki Lake , "I probably wouldn't have taken the role if it wasn't for the advice of Peter King in
1710-434: A 10-episode adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back debuted in 1983. Billy Dee Williams joined the other two stars, reprising his role as Lando Calrissian. In 1983, Buena Vista Records released an original, 30-minute Star Wars audio drama titled Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell , written by Daley. In the 1990s, Time Warner Audio Publishing adapted several Star Wars series from Dark Horse Comics into audio dramas:
1881-490: A Catholic in a predominantly Protestant town made him cautious, and once said he felt like a "second-class citizen" there, but has also said he was never made to feel "inferior or even different" at the town's predominantly Protestant technical college. "It would be colourful to imagine I had a rebellious, uproarious Irish background," he has said, "but the facts were much greyer. Irish, yes. But all that nationalistic stuff, crying into your Guinness and singing rebel songs—that
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#17327880507132052-417: A Sith Lord, named Darth Jar Jar, who only pretended to be manipulated by Palpatine and actually manipulated Palpatine himself. This sketch was in reference to a popular in-joke among Star Wars fans. Five years later, in late October 2015, a Reddit user by the name of "Lumpawarroo" (the name of Chewbacca's son) published a detailed theory speculating that Binks was originally written as a major antagonist of
2223-485: A brief "'scuse me" at one point). He was originally given some dialogue in the beginning, but this was cut. Another cut scene would have shown Palpatine mocking Jar Jar for putting him in power before crowning himself emperor. He is most prominently featured in Padmé Amidala's funeral procession at the end of the film, marching sadly behind her coffin alongside Boss Nass . Jar Jar Binks is a supporting character in
2394-698: A ceremony in the town. Neeson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in her 2000 New Year Honours . The American Ireland Fund honoured Neeson with their Performing Arts Award for the great distinction he has brought to Ireland at their 2008 Dinner Gala in New York City . In 2009, at a ceremony in New York , Neeson was awarded an honorary doctorate by Queen's University, Belfast . On 9 April 2016, he
2565-551: A detective hired to hunt the killers of a drug dealer's wife. During Super Bowl XLIX , Supercell did a Clash of Clans commercial with Neeson playing the game as "AngryNeeson52" and vowing revenge on his opponent "BigBuffetBoy85" while waiting for his scone at a bakery. The appearance was a parody of his role in Taken . In 2016, Neeson narrated the RTÉ One three-part documentary on the Easter Rising , 1916 . Following
2736-426: A female friend of his had been raped by a stranger. After learning the attacker was a black man, Neeson said that he spent a week going "up and down areas with a cosh , hoping some 'black bastard' would come out of a pub and have a go" so that he "could kill him". In the interview, he also said he was ashamed of the experience and that the things he did and said were "horrible". He said, "It's awful [...] but I did learn
2907-530: A gift from Jar Jar Binks or C-3P0." Ahmed Best was moved by people's appreciation for Jar Jar Binks: "It was definitely the kids. I had to start looking at Jar Jar through their eyes, and that's what made me smile again. Now those kids, they are between 20 and 30 years old. They have a different perspective on The Phantom Menace . The Phantom Menace , for them, is their Star Wars . [Episodes] IV , V and VI , that's their parents' Star Wars , and VII , VIII and IX , that's their children's Star Wars . But
3078-576: A hook move called "Jar Jar Wings" in Angry Birds Star Wars II . Ahmed Best was signed on to portray Binks in the show Star Wars Detours . Even before the release of The Phantom Menace , Jar Jar Binks became the subject of significant media and popular attention. After the film's release, Binks became symbolic of what many reviewers such as Brent Staples ( The New York Times ), David Edelstein ( Slate ), and Eric Harrison ( Los Angeles Times ) considered to be creative flaws of
3249-423: A lesson from it, when I eventually thought, 'What the fuck are you doing?'" In an appearance on Good Morning America , Neeson elaborated on his comments while denying being a racist, stating that he asked for physical attributes of the rapist other than his race and that he would have done the same if the rapist was "a Scot or a Brit or a Lithuanian". He also said that he had purposely gone into "black areas of
3420-438: A little bit of conversation and then we got to see Stomp. Ahmed was in that thing, and I was just like, “This is so cool!” It was just wonderful. So here he was, this kid I think had hoped that this was going to be something that transformed his life in a really great way. Who wouldn't think that? It's an opportunity to work on a Star Wars movie. —Digital model designer Jean Bolte remembers meeting actor Ahmed Best. Since
3591-417: A live-action film, although in a small number of shots (such as those only showing the character's hands or feet), the costume was not replaced with CGI. Jar Jar appears in only the films of the prequel trilogy . Jar Jar Binks first appears in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace as a bumbling, foolish Gungan from the planet Naboo who is banished by his tribe as punishment for his clumsiness. He
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#17327880507133762-460: A lot of fans and critics didn't like it. Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks, received a lot of criticism, to the point where it really hurt his career. And I have to say that when he was making that movie, with Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks and with Ewan McGregor as young Obi-Wan Kenobi, he was probably one of the funniest and most talented guys I've ever worked with. I remember calling... my old ex-agent... and saying, 'Listen, I think I just worked with
3933-494: A lot to this, the personality is something that we have not experienced that yet. And that's going to be your part in it.” And he was this kid in his twenties, who did that beautiful Stomp, that show that he was involved in, which we all got to see. George let us see a special [performance] of that -- yeah, that was during a company meeting. There was a big theater up there in San Rafael, and the company meeting turned out to be
4104-430: A master and their apprentice. The franchise is set against a backdrop of galactic conflict involving republics and empires, such as the evil Galactic Empire . The Jedi and Sith prefer the use of a weapon called the lightsaber , a blade of plasma that can cut through virtually any surface and deflect energy bolts. The rest of the population, as well as renegades and soldiers, use plasma-powered blaster firearms . In
4275-472: A mixed reception from critics and audiences. Several Star Wars films have been produced separately from the Skywalker Saga. In 2008, Lucasfilm released the animated film The Clone Wars , which is set during the prequel trilogy and serves as the theatrical pilot of the television series of the same name . Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, an "anthology" film series set between
4446-524: A modified version of the film, entitled The Phantom Edit , which cut out several scenes featuring what Nichols dubbed 'Jar Jar antics.' The character was also lampooned on an episode of the television show South Park entitled " Jakovasaurs ", in The Fairly OddParents (Episode: "Abra-Catastrophe!"), The Simpsons (Episode: " Co-Dependents' Day "), as well as the parody Star Wars episodes of Robot Chicken , in which Best reprised
4617-491: A nomination for a Best Actor Oscar, and helped the film earn Best Picture of 1993. He also received BAFTA and Golden Globes nominations for the performance. He soon became an in-demand leading actor. In 1993, Neeson made his Broadway debut playing Mat Burke in the revival of the Eugene O'Neill play Anna Christie starring opposite his Ellis Island co-star and future wife Natasha Richardson . For his performance he
4788-760: A nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play . Charles Isherwood of Variety praised Neeson writing, "In his thoughtful performance as Proctor, the effortlessly charismatic Neeson subtly delineates a man’s moral evolution as Proctor moves from casual scorn for the proceedings to outrage to soul-stricken despair" adding, "Perhaps the finest aspect of Neeson’s performance is its admirable restraint". That same year Neeson acted with Harrison Ford in Kathryn Bigelow 's 2002 submarine thriller K-19: The Widowmaker as Captain Mikhail Polenin. He
4959-485: A really good job and worked hard to get it right. Seeing the really warm reaction of the crowd made me feel... It was moving.". Animation director Rob Coleman said that twenty years later he still has younger people coming up to him and telling him that Jar Jar is their favorite character. Digital model designer Jean Bolte cited Jar Jar Binks as one of her favorite characters to work with alongside Sebulba and Yoda, saying, "Going to Star Wars Celebration and seeing and hearing
5130-668: A revival of the play Anna Christie on Broadway in 1993. They were married on 3 July 1994 and had two sons together, Micheál (b. 1995) and Daniel (b. 1996). In October 1998, they won £50,000 ($ 85,370) in libel damages after the Daily Mirror wrongly claimed that their marriage was suffering. They donated the money to victims of the August 1998 Omagh bombing . In August 2004, they purchased an estate in Millbrook, New York . On 18 March 2009, Richardson died when she suffered
5301-517: A role in the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars . The first fully computer-generated supporting character in a live-action film, he has been voiced by Ahmed Best in most of his appearances, who also acted out the character with prosthetics prior to the CGI work. He also appears in various other media . Jar Jar's primary role in Episode I was to provide comic relief for the audience. He
Jar Jar Binks - Misplaced Pages Continue
5472-625: A scene in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002). Neeson was later reported to be appearing in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), but ultimately did not. In the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–20), he voiced Qui-Gon in two episodes of the third season and one episode of the sixth season, and he also made a voice cameo as Qui-Gon in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Neeson appeared as Qui-Gon in
5643-467: A script by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen and directed by Pierre Morel . Neeson plays a retired CIA operative from the elite Special Activities Division who sets about tracking down his teenage daughter after she is kidnapped. Taken was a worldwide box-office hit, grossing $ 223.9 million worldwide, making almost $ 200 million more than its production budget. Neeson has said in interviews that he believed that Taken had put some people off
5814-504: A sense of humor geared toward the youngest conceivable audience members; an over-reliance on computer graphics; and story lines devoted to the kinds of convoluted political machinations which wouldn't have been out of place in adaptations of I, Claudius or The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich , but which fit less snugly in films with characters like Jar Jar Binks." One fan, Mike J. Nichols , created and distributed, free of charge,
5985-572: A series of murders of Jedi Masters. The Star Wars canon fictional universe spans multiple eras, of which three are focused around each of the film trilogies. The following eras were defined in January 2021, and further refined and expanded in April 2023: The Expanded Universe of spin-off media depicts different levels of continuity, which were deemed non-canonical and rebranded as Legends on April 25, 2014, to make most subsequent works align to
6156-411: A sketch where Binks, voiced by Ahmed Best himself, revealed that he was a Sith Lord throughout the six films, and had manipulated Palpatine himself. Five years later, in 2015, a Reddit user posted a fan theory that Jar Jar was originally going to be revealed as a manipulative villain, but this plot point was removed due to the character's unpopularity. The theory gained popularity on the internet, and
6327-727: A substitute against Shamrock Rovers FC , but was not offered a contract. After leaving university, Neeson returned to Ballymena, where he worked in a variety of casual jobs, such as a forklift operator at Guinness and a lorry driver. He also attended teacher training college for two years in Newcastle upon Tyne before again returning to his hometown. In 1976, he joined the Lyric Players Theatre in Belfast , where he performed for two years. He got his first film experience in 1977, playing Jesus Christ and The Evangelist in
6498-606: A successful sequel to his 2008 blockbuster. That year, he once again appeared as Ra's al Ghul in a cameo appearance in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), the third and final film in Christopher Nolan 's The Dark Knight Trilogy . Dialogue from his role as Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins was featured in the first trailer for the film. Neeson had a supporting role as the henchman Bad Cop/Good Cop in
6669-442: A theme for Obi-Wan Kenobi for the miniseries and Han Solo's theme for Solo: A Star Wars Story . Williams also created the main theme for Galaxy's Edge . Several other composers worked on other soundtracks, including John Powell ( Obi-Wan Kenobi ), Michael Giacchino ( Rogue One ), and Ludwig Göransson ( The Mandalorian ). The first Star Wars audio work is The Story of Star Wars , an LP using audio samples from
6840-556: A very proud way, because it stands the test of time." Footnotes Citations Star Wars Star Wars is an American epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas , which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various films and other media , including television series , video games , novels , comic books , theme park attractions , and themed areas , comprising an all-encompassing fictional universe . Star Wars
7011-572: A very seriously thought-out way, as to why it's obviously true he's [evil]." In 2019, when questioned about it, Best stated again only Lucas could answer, but he confirmed the theorists' idea of Jar Jar's antics being actually a disguised fighting style akin to drunken boxing , revealing that he based his performance on Jackie Chan 's role in the 1978 film Drunken Master . He said, "the Darth Jar Jar theory caught it - caught it. I never thought anybody would see that". The Darth Jar Jar theory
Jar Jar Binks - Misplaced Pages Continue
7182-428: Is another way. Protestants and Catholics, other beliefs and none, learning and working together every day." He has praised schools where parents have voted to transform segregated schools into integrated schools, and fronted television adverts to encourage more parents to integrate their children's schools. Neeson was criticised for his comments on Ireland's Late Late Show in January 2018, during which he described
7353-514: Is common due to lightspeed hyperspace technology. The planets range from wealthy, planet-wide cities to deserts scarcely populated by primitive tribes. Virtually any Earth biome , along with many fictional ones, has its counterpart as a Star Wars planet which, in most cases, teem with sentient and non-sentient alien life. The franchise also makes use of other astronomical objects such as asteroid fields and nebulae . Spacecraft range from small starfighters to large capital ships, such as
7524-721: Is impossible for the Force. These superpowers are wielded by two major knightly orders at conflict with each other: the Jedi , peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic who act on the light side of the Force through non-attachment and arbitration , and the Sith , who use the dark side by manipulating fear and aggression. While Jedi Knights can be numerous, the Dark Lords of the Sith (or 'Darths') are intended to be limited to two:
7695-581: Is nearly killed by a Trade Federation transport, only to be saved at the last minute by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn ( Liam Neeson ). Qui-Gon and his padawan , Obi-Wan Kenobi ( Ewan McGregor ), persuade Jar Jar's tribe to release him to their custody as a guide. He later goes with the Jedi and Padmé Amidala ( Natalie Portman ) to the planet Tatooine , where he meets and befriends nine-year-old slave Anakin Skywalker ( Jake Lloyd ). Jar Jar later appears in
7866-461: Is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The original 1977 film, retroactively subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope , was followed by the sequels Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), forming the original Star Wars trilogy . Lucas later returned to the series to write and direct a prequel trilogy , consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II: Attack of
8037-500: Is referenced in the animated miniseries Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy , in which a Jedi relic accidentally rewrites reality and turns Jar Jar (reprised by Best) into a Sith Lord. I actually felt terrible that Ahmed Best suffered so much. I remember when he came out to [ILM headquarters] Kerner and I met him, showed him around, and I said, “We’re really interested in having your interpretation of this character. You're going to bring
8208-538: The Jedi Academy trilogy (1994) by Kevin J. Anderson , the 14-book Young Jedi Knights series (1995–1998) by Anderson and Rebecca Moesta , and the X-wing series (1996–2012) by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston . Del Rey took over Star Wars book publishing in 1999, releasing what would become a 19-installment novel series called The New Jedi Order (1999–2003). Written by multiple authors,
8379-631: The adhan , the Islamic call to prayer, that he grew accustomed to while filming Taken 2 in Istanbul : "By the third week, it was like I couldn't live without it. It really became hypnotic and very moving for me in a very special way. Very beautiful." He also expressed admiration for the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola . Neeson's mother, Kitty, died in June 2020. He
8550-442: The 2008 series of the same name . Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, all animated series released prior to 2014, apart from the 2008 series, were discarded from the franchise's canon . Subsequent animated series include Rebels , released in 2014; Resistance , released in 2018; and The Bad Batch , released in 2021. Several micro-series and shorts have also been released by Lucasfilm since Disney's acquisition, with
8721-564: The Ballymena Borough Council, but because of objections made by members of the Democratic Unionist Party regarding his comments that he had felt like a "second-class citizen" growing up as a Catholic in the town, he declined the award, citing tensions. Following the controversy, Neeson wrote a letter to the council, stating; "I will always remain very proud of my upbringing in, and association with,
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#17327880507138892-558: The Galactic Senate and, as such, plays a role in bringing two of his old friends, Obi-Wan and Anakin ( Hayden Christensen ), back to Coruscant , where he greets them with enthusiasm. Later, on behalf of Naboo, he gives a speech to the assembled Senate in favor of granting Chancellor Palpatine ( Ian McDiarmid ) vast emergency powers . Jar Jar appears in only a few scenes in Revenge of the Sith , and he has no dialogue (besides
9063-559: The Golden Lion with Neeson earning the Volpi Cup for Best Actor . He later earning nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama . Todd McCarthy of Variety praised his performance writing, "Neeson is a compulsive dynamo as Collins, with the actor seizing his part with a passion and boldness utterly in keeping with the character’s approach to life and his cause". Neeson portrayed Jean Valjean in
9234-675: The Lyric Players' Theatre in Belfast in 1976 for two years. On Broadway he earned two Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nominations for his performances as Matt Burke in the revival of Eugene O'Neill 's Anna Christie (1992) and John Proctor in the Arthur Miller revival of The Crucible (2002). He portrayed Oscar Wilde in David Hare 's The Judas Kiss (1998). Neeson was born in Ballymena, County Antrim ,
9405-524: The Me Too movement as a "witch hunt" and cited Garrison Keillor 's dismissal from Minnesota Public Radio as an example. In February 2019, Neeson gained public and media controversy after a press junket interview he conducted with The Independent while promoting Cold Pursuit , a film about a father seeking revenge for his son's murder. He said that he generated his character's "primal" anger by recounting an experience he had 40 years ago, in which
9576-463: The New Republic era, serving as the climax of the various live-action television series that began with The Mandalorian in 2019. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will direct a third film about a new Jedi Order, set fifteen years after the sequel trilogy. In January 2024, it was announced that Jon Favreau would direct a new Star Wars film, titled The Mandalorian & Grogu . In February of
9747-466: The Republic , the return of Luke as a Jedi Master (a role similar to that of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy), Luke's sister (not yet determined to be Leia), Han, Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO . However, after beginning work on the prequel trilogy, Lucas insisted that Star Wars was meant to be a six-part series and that there would be no sequel trilogy. Lucas decided to leave the franchise in
9918-476: The Sith . Although no longer canon, the story is paralleled in The Force Awakens with Han and Leia's son Ben Solo , who becomes the evil Kylo Ren. Three series set in the prequel era were published by Scholastic for younger audiences: the 18-book Jedi Apprentice (1999–2002) chronicles the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn in the years before The Phantom Menace ;
10089-480: The Star Destroyers , as well as space stations such as the moon-sized Death Stars . Telecommunication includes two-way audio and audiovisual screens, holographic projections, and hyperspace transmission. The universe of Star Wars is generally similar to the real universe but its laws of physics are less strict allowing for more imaginative stories. One result of that is a mystical power known as
10260-618: The Thrawn trilogy, Leia considers an advantageous political marriage to Prince Isolder of the planet Hapes, but she and Han ultimately marry. Steve Perry 's Shadows of the Empire (1996), set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi , was part of a multimedia campaign that included a comic book series and video game. The novel introduced the crime lord Prince Xizor , another popular character who would appear in multiple other works. Other notable series from Bantam include
10431-563: The University of Southern California , licensed the Star Wars radio rights to KUSC-FM for US$ 1 . The production used John Williams's original film score, along with Ben Burtt 's sound effects. The first was written by science-fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden . It was broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981, adapting the original 1977 film into 13 episodes. Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels reprised their film roles. The overwhelming success, led to
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#173278805071310602-488: The historical drama Gangs of New York (2002), the romantic comedy Love Actually (2003), the biographical drama Kinsey (2004), the erotic thriller Chloe (2009), the religious drama Silence (2016), the fantasy film A Monster Calls (2016), the crime thriller Widows (2018), the anthology film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), and the romantic drama Ordinary Love (2019). Beginning in 2009, Neeson cemented himself as an action star with
10773-418: The 11-book Jedi Quest (2001–2004) follows Obi-Wan and his own apprentice, Anakin Skywalker in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones ; and the 10-book The Last of the Jedi (2005–2008), set almost immediately after Revenge of the Sith , features Obi-Wan and the last few surviving Jedi. In 2019, a new prequel era novel, starring Qui-Gon and the young Obi-Wan, was published by Del Rey under
10944-554: The 1998 adaptation of Victor Hugo 's Les Misérables directed by Bille August . He starred alongside Uma Thurman , Geoffrey Rush , and Claire Danes . Writing of Neeson's performance, Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, "[He] plays the role with the sure physical authority and profound decency that are fundamental to Valjean's character" adding, "With a first-rate cast and a venerable storytelling style, it fluently condenses Victor Hugo's epic novel and retrieves some of its suspenseful momentum." That same year he returned to
11115-752: The 2012 film Lincoln , based on the book Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin . In preparation for the role, Neeson visited the District of Columbia and Springfield, Illinois , where Lincoln lived before being elected, and read Lincoln's personal letters. Neeson eventually declined the role, claiming he was "past his sell date" and had grown too old for the role and was replaced by Daniel Day-Lewis (who won his third Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Lincoln). In 2011, he played himself in BBC2's series Life's Too Short starring Ricky Gervais , Stephen Merchant and Warwick Davis . In late 2011, Neeson
11286-478: The All Saints Youth Club, and went on to win a number of regional titles before quitting at 17. He acted in school productions during his teens. His interest in acting and decision to become an actor were also influenced by Ian Paisley , founder of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), into whose Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster he sneaked. He said, "[Paisley] had a magnificent presence and it
11457-592: The Canadian director's biggest money maker ever. Later the same year, he played John "Hannibal" Smith in the spin-off movie from the television series The A-Team . Neeson voiced Aslan once more in the 2010 sequel The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader . That same year he made a guest-star appearance on the Showtime series The Big C with Laura Linney . In 2011, Neeson starred in
11628-626: The Cliff by the Sea , which received an August 2009 release. In 2010, Neeson played Zeus in the remake of the 1981 film, Clash of the Titans . The film was a huge box-office hit, grossing $ 475 million worldwide. Neeson also starred in Atom Egoyan 's erotic thriller Chloe , theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics on 26 March 2010. Chloe had enjoyed commercial success and became
11799-480: The Clones (2002), and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). In 2012, Lucas sold his production company to Disney , relinquishing his ownership of the franchise. This led to a sequel trilogy , consisting of Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). All nine films, collectively referred to as the " Skywalker Saga ", were nominated for Academy Awards , with wins going to
11970-498: The Crown during a Lyric reunion." Despite mixed reviews from critics and fans, The Phantom Menace was an enormous box-office success and remained the most financially successful Star Wars film (unadjusted for inflation) until Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Neeson's performance as Qui-Gon received positive reviews and a Saturn Award nomination. A stock recording of his voice from The Phantom Menace can be heard during
12141-535: The EU material until April 25, 2014, when the company announced all of the EU works would cease production. Existing works would no longer be considered canon to the franchise and subsequent reprints would be rebranded under the Star Wars Legends label, with downloadable content for the massively multiplayer online game The Old Republic the only Legends material to still be produced. The Star Wars canon
12312-408: The Force which is described in the original film as "an energy field created by all living things ... [that] binds the galaxy together". The field is depicted as a kind of pantheistic god. Through training and meditation, those whom "the Force is strong with" exhibit various superpowers (such as telekinesis , precognition , telepathy , and manipulation of physical energy); it is believed nothing
12483-530: The Land of Saints and Sinners (2024) and Absolution (2024). Neeson has indicated a desire to retire from the action genre though the films have taken his acting career in a new direction. In 2016, Neeson reunited with director Martin Scorsese with the drama an adaptation of the novel Silence starring alongside Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver . That same year, he did the voice and motion capture for
12654-492: The Marvel magazine Pizzazz between 1977 and 1979. The 1977 installments were the first original Star Wars stories not directly adapted from the films to appear in print form, as they preceded those of the Star Wars comic series. From 1985 to 1987, the animated children's series Ewoks and Droids inspired comic series from Marvel's Star Comics line. According to Marvel Comics former Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter ,
12825-862: The Monster in the Spanish film A Monster Calls . In 2018 he acted in the Coen brothers western anthology film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and the Steve McQueen crime thriller Widows acting opposite Viola Davis . He portrayed Mark Felt in Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House (2017) directed by Peter Landesman and Philip Marlowe in Marlowe (2022) directed by Neil Jordan . He acted in
12996-703: The Son, and the Holy Guest Star " (2005), he voiced the kindly priest who (briefly) converts Bart and Homer to Catholicism. That same year, he gave his voice to the lion Aslan in the blockbuster fantasy film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe . In 2007, he starred in the American Civil War epic Seraphim Falls . Neeson voiced the main character's father, James, in
13167-497: The action thriller series Taken (2008–2014), The A-Team (2010), The Grey (2011), Wrath of the Titans (2012), A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014), and Cold Pursuit (2019). He is known for his collaborations in the genre with the director Jaume Collet-Serra and starred in four of his films: Unknown (2011), Non-Stop (2014), Run All Night (2015), and The Commuter (2018). On stage, Neeson joined
13338-534: The action-thriller Unknown , a German-British-American co-production of a French book filmed in Berlin in early 2010, and directed by Jaume Collet-Serra . This film led to a collaboration between Neeson and Collet-Serra (as director and/or producer) on a series of similar action films including Non-Stop (2014), Run All Night (2015), The Commuter (2018) and Retribution (2023). Neeson reunited with Steven Spielberg with plans to star as Abraham Lincoln in
13509-443: The actual role of Binks, yet he also claimed that a deleted scene from Attack of the Clones would have still shown Palpatine darkly confiding his plans about the Empire to Jar Jar. J. J. Abrams , who directed two installments of the franchise's sequel trilogy after its buyout by Disney , personally approved of the theory about the villainous Jar Jar. He described Lumpawarroo's argumentation as an "unbelievably lengthy analysis, in
13680-477: The animated film The Lego Movie , which was a critical and commercial success. Neeson later played Bill Marks in the 2014 action film Non-Stop . The film was released on 28 February 2014. He also appeared, uncredited, as God in the BBC2 series Rev. . Neeson stars in the 2014 film A Walk Among the Tombstones , an adaption of the best-selling novel of the same name , in which he plays former cop Matthew Scudder,
13851-416: The animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars , once again voiced by Best, although Phil LaMarr voiced the character in three season one episodes under the pseudonym BJ Hughes. In this series, he is a Senate representative who sometimes accompanies the main characters—Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padmé, and Anakin's padawan Ahsoka Tano —on their adventures. He and Jedi Master Mace Windu are the two main characters of
14022-541: The animators to seek inspiration from Neeson in creating Optimus Prime 's body language . Neeson appeared as Alistair Little in the BBC Northern Ireland /Big Fish Films television drama Five Minutes of Heaven , which tells the true story of a young Protestant man convicted of murdering a Catholic boy during The Troubles . In 2008, Neeson starred in the action film Taken , a French-produced film also starring Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace , based on
14193-727: The announcement. Since the new canon has been introduced, there has been a multitude of pieces of Expanded Universe continuity that have become a part of canon. Star Wars in print predates the release of the first film, with the November 1976 novelization of Star Wars , initially subtitled " From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker ". Credited to Lucas, it was ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster . The first "Expanded Universe" story appeared in Marvel Comics ' Star Wars #7 in January 1978 (the first six issues being an adaptation of
14364-543: The anti-carriage horse campaign of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio , who said he would outlaw horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once he took office. He wrote an opinion page published in The New York Times citing the carriage trade as a safe one for employees, horses, and tourists, and noted it was a livelihood for many immigrants. Neeson narrated a video for Amnesty International in favour of
14535-410: The audition, Best felt he had failed it. Terryl Whitlatch created the final designs for the "cowardly and insecure" character. Best wore a prosthetic costume to portray Jar Jar, which cost about $ 100,000 and served as a reference for the actors to interact with, animators to base the performance on, and digital artists to match the lighting. He was the first computer-generated supporting character in
14706-567: The character as a " Rastafarian Stepin Fetchit on platform hoofs, crossed annoyingly with Butterfly McQueen ." Legal scholar Patricia J. Williams argued that many aspects of Jar Jar Bink's characterization were reminiscent of the blackface archetypes in minstrel shows , while academic Paul J. Ford suggested the character is a "laid-back clown character" which utilized stereotypes of Afro-Caribbean people . Lucasfilm responded to these claims by denying that there were any racist intentions during
14877-532: The character's creation. George Lucas has also responded, stating that "those criticisms are made by people who've obviously never met a Jamaican....How in the world could you take an orange amphibian and say that he's a Jamaican?". Ahmed Best also rejected such claims, stating that "Jar Jar has nothing to do with the Caribbean". On December 19, 2010, Adult Swim released Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III , an animated comedy special parody of Star Wars . In
15048-400: The city" but that he "did seek help" and counselling from his friends and a priest after coming to his senses. He said that the lesson of his experience was "to open up [and] to talk about these things", including toxic masculinity and the underlying "racism and bigotry" in both the U.S. and Northern Ireland. The controversy following his comments led to cancellation of the red carpet event for
15219-595: The criticism pretty harshly. It was kind of painful for me to see how cruel people were about it and how personally George took it. I think the movies didn't deserve as much hate as they received. It hurt me to see how much George took those things." He also said, "I thought [the Star Wars Celebration panel] was great, especially the warm reaction there was to Ahmed. I know he took all the vicious comments people had about Jar Jar very hard. That's not his fault, he didn't write that character. He's an actor who did
15390-416: The earlier animated series falling under Disney's "Vintage" collection of Star Wars content. The Star Wars franchise includes several live-action series. The first series, The Mandalorian , was released in 2019 for the streaming service Disney+ and is set between the original and sequel trilogies of the Skywalker Saga. Due to its success, the series spawned multiple live-action spin-offs set during
15561-399: The episodic films, The Clone Wars film , and television series . From 1976 to 2014, the term Expanded Universe (EU) was an umbrella term for all officially licensed Star Wars storytelling material set outside the events depicted within the theatrical films, including novels, comics, and video games. Lucasfilm maintained internal continuity between the films and television content and
15732-495: The evil Sith lord Palpatine (Darth Sidious). The original trilogy depicts the heroic development of Luke Skywalker as a Jedi and his fight against Palpatine's Galactic Empire alongside his sister, Leia . The prequels tell the tragic backstory of their father, Anakin , who is corrupted by Palpatine and becomes Darth Vader . The sequels follow the conflict between Leia's son, Ben Solo , and Luke and Leia's protegé, Rey , and their eventual alliance against Palpatine after
15903-463: The fall of the Empire. In 1971, George Lucas wanted to film an adaptation of the Flash Gordon serial , but could not obtain the rights, so he began developing his own space opera . After directing American Graffiti (1973), he wrote a two-page synopsis, which 20th Century Fox decided to invest in. By 1974, he had expanded the story into the first draft of a screenplay. Fox expected
16074-478: The fans so interested in which one was our contribution… It really completely changed my point of view about being privileged to have had anything to do with these films.". In an interview with Europa Press during the premiere of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story , a journalist asked actress Felicity Jones who she would like to receive a gift from if she were in the Star Wars galaxy at Christmas time and she responded: "I think she would be very interested to receive
16245-520: The film was successful, Neeson's subsequent years did not bring him the same recognition. He also starred in the eponymous role for the film Ethan Frome (1993). Steven Spielberg offered Neeson the role of Oskar Schindler in his holocaust film Schindler's List after seeing him in Anna Christie on Broadway. Kevin Costner , Mel Gibson and Warren Beatty all expressed interest in
16416-479: The film would be of limited financial success, and so it was given a relatively low budget, with production being moved to Elstree Studios in England to help save on cost. Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977, and first subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in the 1979 book The Art of Star Wars . The film's success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate film serial . With the backstory he created for
16587-574: The film's climactic battle scene, where he leads his fellow Gungans, as a general in the Gungan army, in defeating the Trade Federation. After the battle, he appears at the funeral of Qui-Gon Jinn and in the ending parade with his fellow Gungans. Jar Jar's role in Attack of the Clones is much smaller, but his actions are significant. Ten years after helping save his planet, he is a delegate to
16758-650: The film), followed by Foster's sequel novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye the following month. After penning the novelization of the original film, Foster followed it with the sequel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978). The novelizations of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) by Donald F. Glut and Return of the Jedi (1983) by James Kahn followed, as well as The Han Solo Adventures trilogy (1979–1980) by Brian Daley , and The Adventures of Lando Calrissian trilogy (1983) by L. Neil Smith . Timothy Zahn 's bestselling Thrawn trilogy (1991–1993) reignited interest in
16929-508: The film. The character was widely rejected and often ridiculed by people who felt that Jar Jar was included in the film solely to appeal to children (a criticism first leveled with the introduction of the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi ). Bruce Handy of Vanity Fair wrote that "Jar Jar has come to symbolize what many fans see as the faults of the prequel trilogy: characters no one much cares about;
17100-416: The final episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), appearing as a force ghost to Obi-Wan , in an uncredited cameo, marking his first live-action portrayal of Qui-Gon since The Phantom Menace. He later voiced Qui-Gon again for an episode of the animated Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022). Neeson narrated the 2001 documentaries Journey into Amazing Caves , a short film about two scientists who travel around
17271-936: The first production of Friel's and Rea's Field Day Theatre Company, first presented in the Guildhall in Derry on 23 September 1980. In 1980, filmmaker John Boorman saw him on stage as Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men and offered him the role of Sir Gawain in the Arthurian film Excalibur . After the role, Neeson moved to London, where he continued working on stage, and in small-budget films and television. He lived with actress Helen Mirren , whom he met working on Excalibur . Between 1982 and 1987, he starred in five films, most notably with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins in 1984's The Bounty and Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons in 1986's The Mission . Neeson guest-starred in
17442-401: The first sketch, titled The Emperor's Back , Emperor Palpatine feels remorse for his actions and calls Binks, voiced by Ahmed Best himself, on the telephone, apologizing to him for manipulating him into granting Palpatine emergency powers in the senate during Attack of the Clones . Binks pretends to accept this apology, feigning innocence, but after he hangs up he reveals that he was in fact
17613-609: The first two releases. Together with the theatrical live action "anthology" films Rogue One (2016) and Solo (2018), the combined box office revenue of the films equate to over US$ 10 billion, making Star Wars the third-highest-grossing film franchise of all time. The Star Wars franchise depicts the adventures of characters "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" across multiple fictional eras , in which humans and many species of aliens (often humanoid ) co-exist with droids , which may be programmed for personal assistance or battle. Space travel between planets
17784-532: The franchise and introduced the popular characters Grand Admiral Thrawn , Mara Jade , Talon Karrde , and Gilad Pellaeon . The first novel, Heir to the Empire , reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list , and the series finds Luke, Leia, and Han facing off against tactical genius Thrawn, who is plotting to retake the galaxy for the Empire. In The Courtship of Princess Leia (1994) by Dave Wolverton , set immediately before
17955-404: The franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader". Prior to releasing the original 1977 film, and made possible by its success, Lucas planned "three trilogies of nine films". However, he announced to Time in 1978 that he planned "10 sequels". He confirmed that he had outlined the prequels and sequels in 1981. At various stages of development, the sequel trilogy was to focus on the rebuilding of
18126-640: The gap between the High Republic publishing initiative and the events of The Acolyte . Titled Star Wars: The Acolyte – Kelnacca , the one-shot was written by High Republic writer Cavan Scott with art by Marika Cresta. It focuses on Kelnacca, the Wookiee Jedi introduced in The Acolyte . John Williams composed the soundtracks for the nine episodic films. He stated he would retire from the franchise with The Rise of Skywalker , but he composed
18297-483: The hands of other filmmakers, announcing in January 2012 that he would make no more Star Wars films. That October, the Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced that Episode VII would be released in 2015. The co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy , became president and served as executive producer of new Star Wars feature films. Lucas provided Kennedy his story treatments for
18468-453: The harshness of people’s dislike of him. I do character work. He is a GREAT character! Okay. Go ahead. Shoot. Gimme all ya got—but you’ll never make me change my mind.” In April 2019, during the annual Star Wars Celebration event ahead of the 20th anniversary panel for The Phantom Menace , George Lucas named Jar Jar as his favorite Star Wars character. In an article for The Wall Street Journal , film critic Joe Morgenstern described
18639-486: The idea of actually travelling to Europe. Taken brought Neeson back into the centre of the public eye and resulted in his being cast in many more big-budget Hollywood movies. That year he also narrated the documentary Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity and again lent his voice to Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008). He also provided a voice for Hayao Miyazaki 's anime film Ponyo on
18810-418: The late 1980s and early 1990s, including the ability to create computer-generated imagery (CGI), inspired Lucas to consider that it might be possible to revisit his saga. In 1989, Lucas stated that the prequels would be "unbelievably expensive". In 1992, he acknowledged that he had plans to create the prequel trilogy. A theatrical rerelease of the original trilogy in 1997 " updated " the 20-year-old films with
18981-582: The legalisation of abortion in Ireland , which some conservative and pro-life commentators claimed was "anti-Catholic". Neeson was opposed to Brexit , stating in 2016 that it would be truly "a shame to sacrifice all the progress that has been made by the peace process regarding border controls". In September 2017, Neeson compared the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump to the Watergate scandal of Richard Nixon : "Democracy works and no man—and certainly not
19152-671: The main episodes of the Skywalker Saga entered development in parallel with the production of the sequel trilogy, described by Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo as origin stories . The first film released was 2016's Rogue One , which tells the story of the rebels who steal the plans for the Death Star , the Galactic Empire 's superweapon, just before the events of the original Star Wars film. A second film, 2018's Solo , tells Han Solo's backstory, set 10 years prior to A New Hope . The series Obi-Wan Kenobi
19323-500: The main villains in Christopher Nolan 's action film Batman Begins ; and Father Bernard in Neil Jordan 's adaptation of Patrick McCabe 's novel Breakfast on Pluto . That same year he replaced Brian Cox playing Aslan the Lion in the fantasy adventure film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) an adaptation of the C. S. Lewis book of the same name . In The Simpsons episode " The Father,
19494-449: The movie industry. A heavy smoker earlier in his career, Neeson quit smoking in 2003 while working on Love Actually . When he took the role of Hannibal for the 2010 film adaptation of The A-Team , he had reservations about smoking cigars (a signature trait of the character), but agreed to do it for the film. In June 2012, Neeson's publicist denied reports that Neeson was converting to Islam . Neeson has expressed an affection for
19665-490: The movie material, while others rely heavily on the non-canonical Expanded Universe (rebranded as Star Wars Legends and removed from the canon in 2014). Star Wars games have gone through three significant development eras, marked by a change in leadership among the developers: the early licensed games, those developed after the creation of LucasArts, and those created after the closure of the Lucasfilm division by Disney and
19836-479: The new Eddie Murphy .' And I still believe it." During the 20th anniversary of The Phantom Menace film, many members of the prequel production team have defended the character and appreciated the public's acceptance at the Star Wars Celebration panel. Visual effects supervisor John Knoll reflected: "Well, I think it's good to see [his newfound popularity], because I think George took a lot of
20007-506: The nine films of which are collectively referred to as the " Skywalker Saga ". The saga was produced non-chronologically, beginning in media res with the release of the original trilogy between 1977 and 1983. This was followed by the prequel trilogy, released between 1999 and 2005, and the sequel trilogy, released between 2015 and 2019. Each trilogy focuses on a generation of the Force -sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against
20178-451: The nine-film series plotted, but due to the stress of producing the original trilogy, he had decided to cancel further sequels by 1981. In 1983, Lucas explained that "There was never a script completed that had the entire story as it exists now ... As the stories unfolded, I would take certain ideas and save them ... I kept taking out all the good parts, and I just kept telling myself I would make other movies someday." Technical advances in
20349-473: The original film and a new narration to retell the story, released in 1977. Most later printed novels were adapted into audio novels, usually released on cassette tape and re-released on CD. As of 2019, audio-only novels have been released not directly based on printed media. Radio adaptations of the films were also produced. Lucas, a fan of the NPR-affiliated campus radio station of his alma mater
20520-463: The originating 1977 film Star Wars were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise in April 2014. In the game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , Jar Jar is shown to have been frozen in carbonite by an Imperial officer and kept in his trophy room. Binks appears as a playable character in the Lego Star Wars video games , and appears as an Angry Bird with
20691-497: The outer reaches of the galaxy, crime syndicates such as the Hutt cartel are dominant. Bounty hunters are often employed by both gangsters and governments, while illicit activities include smuggling and slavery . The combination of science fiction and fantasy elements makes Star Wars a very universal franchise, capable of telling stories of various genres. The Star Wars film series centers around three sets of trilogies,
20862-638: The part (Beatty even auditioned), but Neeson was cast in December 1992 after auditioning for the role. He read the Keneally book and concluded that his character "enjoyed fookin' [ sic ] with the Nazis. In Keneally's book, it says he was regarded as a kind of a buffoon by them... if the Nazis were New Yorkers, he was from Arkansas . They don't quite take him seriously, and he used that to full effect." His critically acclaimed performance earned him
21033-442: The premiere of The Force Awakens , Yoda's performer Frank Oz stated that Jar Jar Binks is his favorite character: "I love Jar Jar Binks. I swear to god I do... When I saw that script I thought he was a fantastic character and I don't know what the heck happened… I thought he was fantastic; he was hysterical. He reminded me of Abbott and Costello ." Actor Liam Neeson praised Ahmed Best for his portrayal of Jar Jar Binks: "I know
21204-453: The premiere of Cold Pursuit . Neeson was publicly defended by Michelle Rodriguez , Whoopi Goldberg , John Barnes , Trevor Noah , and Ralph Fiennes . Donald Glover later convinced him to appear in his FX series Atlanta episode " New Jazz " as a fictionalised version of himself, to examine the controversy. In 2000, Neeson was offered the " Freedom of the Town of Ballymena" by
21375-425: The prequels, that's theirs, and they defend the prequels. So I see the same thing. I see the resurgence of The Phantom Menace ." He then talked about his experience of going to Star Wars Celebration: "To be very honest, I was very afraid to go to Celebration. Every time I'm in a Star Wars setting, I spend most of my time defending our work and defending Jar Jar. And I just don't want to do that anymore. So I
21546-500: The president—is above the law. He has to be accountable." Neeson lived with actress Helen Mirren during the early 1980s. They met while working on Excalibur (1981). Interviewed by James Lipton for Inside the Actors Studio , Neeson said Mirren was instrumental in him getting an agent. He dated Barbra Streisand for about nine months between 1991–1992. Neeson then met actress Natasha Richardson while performing in
21717-442: The release of the movie The Phantom Menace , many people who have worked on the Star Wars films and viewers have defended Jar Jar Binks. Filmmaker and creator George Lucas defended the character Jar Jar Binks by clarifying that the Star Wars films were made for 12-year-old children. He has said from the beginning in early interviews for A New Hope that the series was intended for children. In an interview with IGN during
21888-762: The religious film Pilgrim's Progress (1978). He moved to Dublin in 1978 when he was offered a part in Ron Hutchinson's Says I, Says He , a drama about The Troubles , at the Project Arts Centre . He acted in several other Project productions and joined the Abbey Theatre (the National Theatre of Ireland). In 1980, he performed with Stephen Rea, Ray McAnally and Mick Lally, playing Doalty in Brian Friel's play Translations ,
22059-504: The role in voice-over form. In response to the criticism surrounding Jar Jar, Star Wars creator George Lucas stated that he feels there is a section of the fanbase upset that "the movies are for children but they don't want to admit that... There is a small group of fans that do not like comic sidekicks . They want the films to be tough like The Terminator , and they get very upset and opinionated about anything that has anything to do with being childlike." In July 2018, Best said that
22230-462: The role, but wished to portray the character using prosthetics while Lucas wanted him to be all CGI. Ahmed Best was cast based on his work in the production of Stomp , as Lucas wanted someone athletic for the role. During his audition he performed several martial arts moves and flips, which according to Best was a contrast to how Lucas pictured the character, more in line with comedic silent actors such as Buster Keaton . After Lucas walked out of
22401-572: The romantic drama Ordinary Love (2019) with Lesley Manville and the biographical drama Wildcat starring Maya Hawke . On television he played Chief Constable Byers in Derry Girls (2022), and portrayed a fictional version of himself in Atlanta (2022). Neeson opposes what he sees as the unrestricted right to own firearms in the U.S. and has made calls for gun control . In January 2015, he repeated his views, calling U.S. gun laws
22572-431: The same fictional era, including The Book of Boba Fett , released in 2021; Ahsoka , released in 2023; and the upcoming Skeleton Crew . These series follow the plight of the New Republic and its allies against the remnants of the fallen Galactic Empire . A story focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi was planned as a film before becoming a live-action series after the box office failure of Solo in 2018. The series
22743-502: The same year, Bob Iger announced that the film would be the first release of the next slate of Star Wars movies. The Mandalorian & Grogu is scheduled for release on May 22, 2026. Lucasfilm has a number of Star Wars films in various stages of development, including: The first two animated series, Droids and Ewoks , were produced in the 1980s. They were followed by the Clone Wars animated micro-series in 2003 and
22914-460: The sequel, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy of trilogies. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980, also achieving wide financial and critical success. The final film in the trilogy, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi , was released on May 25, 1983. According to producer Gary Kurtz, loose plans for a prequel trilogy were developed during the outlining of the original two films. In 1980, Lucas confirmed that he had
23085-746: The sequels during the 2012 sale, but in 2015 it was revealed Lucas's sequel outline had been discarded. The sequel trilogy also meant the end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe stories, which were discarded from canon to give "maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience." Episode VII: The Force Awakens was released on December 16, 2015, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi on December 13, 2017, and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker on December 18, 2019, in many countries. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi were both critical and box office successes. Episode IX received
23256-467: The series was set 25 to 30 years after the original films and introduced the Yuuzhan Vong, a powerful alien race attempting to invade and conquer the entire galaxy. The bestselling multi-author series Legacy of the Force (2006–2008) chronicles the crossover of Han and Leia's son Jacen Solo to the dark side of the Force; among his evil deeds, he kills Luke's wife Mara Jade as a sacrifice to join
23427-412: The series, a manipulative, prominent collaborator of Palpatine , before being written off from his major villain's role due to the character's negative reception. This theory was related to an earlier interview with actor Ahmed Best in /r/IAmA , where he claimed that Jar Jar had been displaced from the story's main focus due to the backlash, implying at the same time that the hate received by the character
23598-500: The situation reflects real life in that adults disliked Jar Jar in the prequel films, but children were entertained by him. In an interview, director J. J. Abrams suggested that Jar Jar's death might be referenced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens , but this did not happen. With the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company , most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since
23769-516: The son of primary school caretaker Bernard "Barney" Neeson and cook Katherine "Kitty" Neeson (née Brown). His mother was born and raised in Waterford in the south-east of Ireland. Brought up Catholic, he was named Liam after a local priest. He has three sisters, Elizabeth, Bernadette, and Rosaleen. He attended St Patrick's College, Ballymena , from 1963 to 1967, and later recalled that his love of drama began there. He said that growing up as
23940-710: The stage in the David Hare play The Judas Kiss (1998) portraying Oscar Wilde which ran at both the Almeida Theatre in the West End and the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway . He acted alongside Tom Hollander and Peter Capaldi . In 1999 he acted in the supernatural horror film The Haunting (1999) opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones . In 1999, Neeson starred as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace . Director George Lucas cast Neeson because he considered him
24111-443: The strong sales of Star Wars comics saved Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978. Marvel's Star Wars series was one of the industry's top selling titles in 1979 and 1980. The only downside for Marvel was that the 100,000 copy sales quota was surpassed quickly, allowing Lippincott to renegotiate the royalty arrangements from a position of strength. In the late 1980s, Marvel dropped a new Star Wars comic it had in development, which
24282-417: The style of CGI envisioned for the new trilogy. Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released on May 19, 1999, Episode II: Attack of the Clones on May 16, 2002, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith on May 19, 2005. The first two films were met with mixed reviews, with the third being received somewhat more positively. Together with the original trilogy, Lucas has referred to the first six episodic films of
24453-450: The success of the Taken films, Neeson has become increasingly known as a star of action thriller films . Besides The A-Team , Unknown , The Grey , Non-Stop , A Walk Among the Tombstones , Run All Night , The Commuter and Retribution, other recent action films starring Neeson have included Cold Pursuit (2019), Honest Thief (2020), The Marksman (2021), The Ice Road (2021), Blacklight (2022), Memory (2022), In
24624-540: The third season of the television series Miami Vice in 1986, and moved to Hollywood the next year to take higher-profile roles. He starred with Cher and Dennis Quaid in Suspect , which brought him critical acclaim. In 1988, he starred with Clint Eastwood in the fifth Dirty Harry film, The Dead Pool , as Peter Swan, a horror film director. In 1990, he had a starring role in Sam Raimi 's Darkman . Although
24795-457: The three-part Dark Empire saga, Tales of the Jedi , Dark Lords of the Sith , the Dark Forces trilogy, and Crimson Empire (1998). Return of the Jedi was adapted into 6-episodes in 1996, featuring Daniels. The Star Wars franchise has spawned over one hundred computer, video, and board games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles . Some are based directly on
24966-490: The title Star Wars: Master and Apprentice . Although Thrawn had been designated a Legends character in 2014, he was reintroduced into the canon in 2016 for the third season of the Rebels animated series, with Zahn returning to write more novels based on the character and set in the new canon. Marvel Comics published a Star Wars comic book series from 1977 to 1986. Original Star Wars comics were serialized in
25137-566: The town and my country of birth, which I will continue to promote at every opportunity. Indeed, I regard the enduring support over the years from all sections of the community in Ballymena as being more than sufficient recognition for any success which I may have achieved as an actor." Subsequently, on 28 January 2013, Neeson received the Freedom of the Borough from Ballymena Borough Council at
25308-409: The transfer of the license to Electronic Arts . Liam Neeson William John Neeson OBE (born 7 June 1952) is a Northern Irish actor. He has received several accolades , including nominations for an Academy Award , a BAFTA Award , three Golden Globe Awards , and two Tony Awards . In 2020, he was placed seventh on The Irish Times list of Ireland's 50 Greatest Film Actors. Neeson
25479-444: The two-part episode "The Disappeared" in which they had to search for missing elders and rescue a queen, who was Jar Jar's past love interest. Chuck Wendig 's 2017 novel Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire's End , set after the events of Return of the Jedi , finds Binks as a street performer who entertains refugee children but is loathed by adults who blame him for his part in the rise of the Empire. Chris Taylor of Mashable wrote that
25650-488: The video game Fallout 3 . Executive producer Todd Howard said, "This role was written with Liam in mind, and provides the dramatic tone for the entire game". Fallout 3 , the third game in the Fallout series , was extremely well received by critics and shipped 4.7 million copies by the end of 2008, the year it was released. In the director's commentary of the 2007 Transformers DVD, Michael Bay said he had told
25821-429: The widespread criticism of his character had led to him considering suicide . Fans felt sorry for and showed their support for Best, feeling that toxic abuse is unacceptable. Among the group of people is the interpreter of Yoda , Frank Oz , who said that he enjoyed the character Jar Jar Binks and wrote on Twitter: “I LOVED Jar Jar Binks. I know I’ll get raked over the coals for saying that but I just will never understand
25992-600: The world to search for material for potential cures; and The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Adventure . The latter won awards at a number of film festivals including Best Documentary from both the Chicago Film Critics Association and the National Board of Review . Neeson returned to Broadway in the revival of the Arthur Miller play The Crucible acting opposite Laura Linney . For his performance as John Proctor he received
26163-538: Was also on the cast of Martin Scorsese 's historical drama Gangs of New York with Daniel Day-Lewis , Leonardo DiCaprio , and Cameron Diaz . In 2003, he played a recently widowed writer in Richard Curtis 's romantic comedy ensemble Love Actually (2003) acting alongside Hugh Grant , Colin Firth , Emma Thompson , Alan Rickman , and Laura Linney . The film was a commercial success and has since become
26334-458: Was an undergraduate in physics and computer science at Queen's University, Belfast , the university awarded him an honorary doctorate which was presented to him in New York by Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson. In March 2011, he was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF . He is a patron of Belfast -based charity and film festival CineMagic , which helps young people get involved in
26505-534: Was announced in January 2014 that in 2015 the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics, whose parent company, Marvel Entertainment , Disney had purchased in 2009. Launched in 2015, the first three publications were titled Star Wars , Darth Vader , and the miniseries Princess Leia . First announced as Project Luminous at Star Wars Celebration in April 2019, the Star Wars: The High Republic publishing initiative
26676-1125: Was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000. Neeson made his film debut in 1978 with Pilgrim's Progress followed by early roles in Excalibur (1981), The Bounty (1984), The Mission (1986), The Dead Pool (1988), and Husbands and Wives (1992). He rose to prominence portraying Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg 's Holocaust drama Schindler's List (1993) for which he earned an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination. He played leading man roles in drama films such as Nell (1994), Rob Roy (1995), Michael Collins (1996), and Les Misérables (1998). He took blockbuster roles portraying Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins (2005), and Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy (2005–2010). He acted in films such as
26847-706: Was cast to play the lead character, a journalist, in a new album recording and arena production of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds . He replaced Richard Burton , who had posthumously appeared in the arena production through CGI animation . Neeson did not physically appear on the stage, instead playing the role through the use of 3D holography . In 2012, Neeson starred in Joe Carnahan 's The Grey . The film received mostly positive reviews and Neeson's performance received critical acclaim. He also starred in Taken 2 (2012),
27018-474: Was even encouraged by Best, who implied that it could have been partially true. The character's reception has changed as he has been championed by fans who had seen the prequels at the time of their release as children. He has also been defended by members of the prequels' production team. George Lucas was inspired to develop Jar Jar based on the Disney character Goofy . Singer Michael Jackson wanted to play
27189-401: Was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award by the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) at the Mansion House, Dublin , with Irish President Michael D. Higgins presenting the award. In 2017, Neeson was listed by UK-based company Richtopia at number 74 in the list of 200 Most Influential Philanthropists and Social Entrepreneurs Worldwide. In January 2018, he was awarded
27360-426: Was incredible to watch him just Bible-thumping away... it was acting, but it was also great acting and stirring too." In 1971, he joined a physics and computer science course at Queen's University Belfast before leaving to work for the Guinness Brewery . At Queen's, he discovered a talent for football and was spotted by Seán Thomas at Bohemian FC . There was a club trial in Dublin and Neeson played one game as
27531-489: Was met with overwhelming dislike from both audiences and critics, and has been recognized as one of the most hated characters in Star Wars and the history of film in general, with some commentators arguing that the character was based on stereotypes of black people, especially Jamaicans. The hate affected Best personally, who rejected the idea that the character was based on racist stereotypes. In 2010, Adult Swim released Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III which included
27702-545: Was never my scene." He has described himself as "out of touch" with the politics and history of Northern Ireland until becoming aware of protests by fellow students after Bloody Sunday , a massacre in Derry in 1972 during the Troubles , which encouraged him to learn more local history. In a 2009 interview, he said, "I never stop thinking about [the Troubles]. I've known guys and girls who have been perpetrators of violence and victims. Protestants and Catholics. It's part of my DNA." At age nine, Neeson began boxing lessons at
27873-440: Was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play The following year they also worked together in Nell (1994) starring Jodie Foster . He then took leading roles in the period piece drama films including playing the lead role of Rob Roy MacGregor in the historical drama Rob Roy (1995) opposite Jessica Lange , Brian Cox , and Tim Roth . Critic Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times praised his ability to be
28044-408: Was not entirely unintentional. The post quickly became popular and received significant media coverage internationally by independent bloggers and major news outlets like The Guardian , The Washington Post , and The New York Times , which included analysis of his actions in The Phantom Menace and gave him the nickname of "Darth Jar Jar". Journalist Andrew Street from The Guardian called it
28215-411: Was originally planned as a film, but changed to a miniseries due to Solo underperforming at the box office. In April 2023, three new Star Wars films were announced to be set within different eras of the franchise. An untitled film written and directed by James Mangold will be set during the "dawn of the Jedi". Dave Filoni will direct a film set between the original and sequel trilogies during
28386-473: Was picked up by Dark Horse Comics and published as the popular Dark Empire series (1991–1995). Dark Horse subsequently launched dozens of series set after the original film trilogy, including Tales of the Jedi (1993–1998), X-wing Rogue Squadron (1995–1998), Star Wars: Republic (1998–2006), Star Wars Tales (1999–2005), Star Wars: Empire (2002–2006), and Knights of the Old Republic (2006–2010). After Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, it
28557-417: Was released on Disney+ in 2022 and is set between the prequel and original trilogy films. It was followed by the live-action series Andor in the same year; both series follow their titular characters during the reign of the Empire. The Acolyte is a series created by Leslye Headland set at the end of the High Republic era before the events of the Skywalker Saga , and follows an investigation into
28728-422: Was revealed in a press conference in February 2020. Involving the majority of the then current officially licensed publishers, a new era set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga was explored in various books and comics. Including ongoing titles by Marvel and IDW Publishing, written by Cavan Scott and Daniel José Older respectively. Marvel Comics will publish a one-shot comic book on September 4, 2024, that bridges
28899-503: Was subsequently restructured to only include the existing six feature films, the animated film The Clone Wars (2008), and its companion animated series. All future projects and creative developments across all types of media would be overseen and coordinated by the story group, announced as a division of Lucasfilm created to maintain continuity and a cohesive vision on the storytelling of the franchise. Multiple comics series from Marvel and novels published by Del Rey were produced after
29070-511: Was unable to return to his hometown for her funeral due to travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic . Neeson is a long-term supporter of the need for more integrated education in Northern Ireland ; that is, educating Catholics and Protestants together. In 2017 he said, "As Northern Ireland moves forward from division, who do we look to for a future we can share? Our children - so why do we continue to educate them apart? Different religions, different backgrounds, different schools. There
29241-429: Was very reluctant to come to Celebration because of that, and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't the case at all. I just felt nothing but love and respect and admiration for the work we did. I couldn't have been more proud and I couldn't have been happier. I wish George was there because I think we're at a time right now where we have to stand in that work. We have to say, “We did it,” and step into that in
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