Liam Neeson Says ‘Star Wars’ Is Being Hurt by ‘So Many Spinoffs’ Which “[Take] Away the Mystery and the Magic’

Qui Gon-Jinn himself has spoken. The mystery and magic of “Star Wars” has been destroyed by Disney greed.

Neeson recently confessed that he’s not at all interested in returning to play his character, adding “there’s so many spinoffs of ‘Star Wars.’ It’s diluting it to me, and it’s taken away the mystery and the magic in a weird way.”

It used to be that a Star Wars movie would be a major event for movie fans worldwide. What happened? Well, the downfall really started when George Lucas sold the rights to Disney. The mouse house decided to create a trilogy that destroyed the Star Wars myth for many and then they kept milking it with numerous TV shows and movie spin-offs.

I’m telling you all this as someone who wasn’t even a big fan to begin with. I’m just relaying the word from millions of pissed off fans who have now decided that, compared to Disney’s output, “The Phantom Menace” is a masterpiece. That’s how bad things have gotten.

Critics loved “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi,” but don’t tell that to the hardcore fans who spit on these movies.

A planned trilogy from "The Last Jedi" director, Rian Johnson, originally announced in 2017, has been put on the backburner, but Johnson recently said he still hopes to make it. My advice to Disney is simple: DON’T RE-HIRE JOHNSON. Not because he’s a bad filmmaker, he’s actually a pretty good one. No, it stems more from the fact that a majority of Star Wars diehards just plainly do not like him for what he did with “The Last Jedi.”

For 10 years, Kathleen Kennedy has presided over the Star Wars brand and has also bore the wrath of many Star Wars fanboys, especially when it comes to the recent trilogy of films that reinvented the lore of the franchise.

The best Star Wars movie since Kennedy took control of the ship was also the one that was the biggest production headache for Disney, that would be Gareth Edwards’ “Rogue One.”

'Cosmic Motors,' John Lasseter's First Film in 15 Years, Moves from Netflix to Paramount Theatrical Release

Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.

Edward Berger’s Lance Armstrong Biopic, Starring Austin Butler, Starts Production in January

Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.

Ramin Bahrani’s ‘Last Meals’ to Star Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, Michael Shannon, and Tessa Thompson

In "Last Meals," Mikkelsen stars as Walter Karat, a disgraced former White House chef now preparing final meals for death row inmates at a maximum security prison.

‘NAZA’: Israel Moves to Strip Citizenship From Oscar-Winning Filmmakers Behind Gaza Doc

After its much-reported Venice premiere, Israel's culture minister is vowing to strip citizenship from the two Israeli filmmakers behind "NAZA."

Chris Rock’s ‘Misty Green’ Premieres, Rosalind Eleazar Stuns — 73 on Metacritic [TIFF]

I wouldn't call this film great — it stops short of that because of how neatly it resolves itself — but I'll give Rock his due here: this is much better than his previous directorial effort, "Top Five."

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

Joaquin Phoenix Reuniting with Mike Mills for Next Film, Shooting in January 2027

Phoenix is set to reunite with Mills on this next film, which is being distributed by A24 and starts shooting January 2027. This will be Phoenix’s first film since “Eddington.”

Paul Thomas Anderson Has Already Chosen His Next Film, Jonny Greenwood Says

“Paul is getting close to pressing the button on the next film, I believe, and I’m already trying to learn a new instrument that would be central to it,” Greenwood tells Screen Daily.

Ridley Scott Says “I Didn’t Say That” After Calling ‘The Dog Stars’ His Best Movie Since ‘The Martian’

In June 2026, Scott told The Buyer that “The Dog Stars” is “probably the best movie I’ve done since The Martian.” He’s now denying he ever said that.

Todd Field-Written ‘The Girls’ Sets Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic to Direct, November Shoot

Cinephiles another Todd Field movie, and although we might have to wait for his next directorial effort, “The Girls” will have to suffice for now.

Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

Trending

Critics Polls