Liam Neeson criticizes Star Wars for having too many sequels and spin-offs

One person who isn’t very happy about all the Star Wars movies in the pipeline is Liam Neeson.

The actor, 71, who is very clearly unimpressed about the way the universe is expanding, has shared his thoughts on Conan O’Brien’s podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

Neeson’s admission came when his conversation with the late night talk show host turned to the topic of whether he’s stopped for autographs.

“Not all the time,” he admitted. “I mean it is a cult. There’s so many movies and spin-offs now I think it’s diluting the whole thing, that’s my personal thing.

“Occasionally there’s kids after a Star Wars autograph and I don’t want to give autographs at the airport,” the Taken star confessed. “Oh but it’s not the kid, it’s the grandfather, there he is - or the dad.”

The Star Wars universe has been expanding beyond the main saga of films. There have been a whole bunch of successful spin-off films and TV shows, including Rogue One: A Star Wars Story starring Felicity Jones. The 2016 film is set a week before Star Wars and follows a group of rebels who come together to steal plans of the Death Star.

Disney

In 2018, Walt Disney Studios released Solo: A Star Wars Story, starring Alden Ehrenreich to mostly positive reviews from critics. However, it is widely considered to be the first box office bomb in the Star Wars universe, grossing only $393.2 million against a budget of at least $275 million.

As Lucas Film is a subsidiary of Disney, there have been five live-action Star Wars TV shows that have debuted on Disney+ in the last four years.

Beginning with the acclaimed space Western The Mandalorian, starring Pedro Pascal and created by Jon Favreau, which recently finished airing its third season. The Book of Boba Fett debuted in 2021, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor in 2022 and Ahsoka just last month.

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Another TV series, Skeleton Crew, is stated to premiere this year while The Acolyte is on tap for 2024.

The podcast interview with O’Brien was not the first time he shared his thoughts on the matter.

He spoke to Andy Cohen about not being interested in returning to his role of Qui-Gon Jinn in a spin-off.

“No, I’m not,” he responded. “There’s so many spin-offs of Star Wars. It’s diluting it to me, and it’s taken away the mystery and the magic in a weird way.”