Jar Jar Binks actor confirms he isn't part of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series

Jar Jar Binks
(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best has confirmed that he isn't part of the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney Plus series.

The cast for the new show was recently announced, after it was confirmed at Disney's Investor Day event that Hayden Christensen would be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the series. Obi-Wan Kenobi will star Ewan McGregor as the titular Jedi, and will see the return of Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse. It will also welcome newcomers to the galaxy far, far away like Indira Varma, Kumail Nanjiani, and Benny Safdie.

But one Star Wars character who won't be making a reappearance is Jar Jar Binks. 

On Twitter, Best, who both voiced the character and portrayed him physically, wrote: "Thanks for the love, but I will not be in this series. As much as I would've loved to be a part of it. But I'm ecstatic to see folks who I love dearly back together doing great things."

He also expressed his excitement for the series: "Congrats my friends. Looking forward to seeing all these wonderful artists on screen."

What happened to Jar Jar Binks after the events of Revenge of the Sith hasn't been shown on screen, but his story turns into a sad one: After inadvertently helping the rise of the Empire, Jar Jar was exiled again, and became a performing street clown. He eventually met a young refugee boy named Mapo, though, and the two became friends. 

Though Jar Jar might not be reappearing anytime soon, Best still has a place in the Star Wars universe in Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge as the Jedi Master Kelleran Beq. 

Plot details for Obi-Wan Kenobi are being kept under wraps, but it's safe to assume we'll be seeing Tatooine again – and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has teased the "rematch of the century" between Vader and Kenobi.

Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn't yet have a release date, but the next Star Wars TV show to hit Disney Plus is the Book of Boba Fett this December, with The Mandalorian season 3 also on the way. While you wait, check out how to watch Star Wars movies in order, and find the best Disney Plus prices and deals.

TOPICS
Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

Read more
Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka episode 5
Hayden Christensen has paid the ultimate respect to Anakin's Clone Wars actor: "Thank you for keeping Star Wars alive"
Jod Na Nawood holding a lightsaber
A Jedi was cut from the Star Wars Skeleton Crew finale – was she Jod’s former master?
Watto in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
A Star Wars comic killed off a minor prequels character and the internet is in mourning
Werner Herzog in The Mandalorian
Star Wars fans are sharing their favorite unbelievable canon cameos – and some of them are seriously deep-cut
Mando and Grogu in The Mandalorian
The Bear star is joining the Star Wars universe in The Mandalorian and Grogu movie as a deep-cut Clone Wars character
Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Every new Star Wars movie and TV show currently in the works
Latest in Sci-Fi Shows
Alien Earth teaser
New Alien: Earth teaser introduces us to new cast members and the cutest little cat – and if a Xenomorph eats it, I will be furious
The Last of Us
The Last of Us season 2 is giving a game character the Bill and Frank treatment – and he's so deep-cut you might barely remember him
The Last of Us season 2 first look
Pedro Pascal says "beautiful" scene that made him want to join The Last of Us got cut, but it’ll thankfully appear in season 2: "He was like, ‘That’s half the reason I’m here!’"
Diego Luna in Andor
It looks like a key Star Wars event mentioned in Rebels will be shown in Andor season 2
Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who season 2
Doctor Who fans think they've spotted a tease for surprise villains in new season 2 trailer
The Xenomorph in Alien: Earth
New look at Alien: Earth has fans theorizing over whether they can hear a Predator in the background
Latest in News
The cast of Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts director says the new Marvel movie is inspired by Toy Story 3: "Can they get out of the trash can together?"
Starfield
Bethesda breaks silence as Starfield fans hope for an update: "We have a lot of exciting things planned for the game this year"
The Last of Us 2
Naughty Dog has done it: it's remastered the PS5 controller with a Last of Us-themed DualSense announcement 24 hours after Neil Druckmann dashed our hopes for The Last of Us 3
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows reverses roles to show off Naoe's combat and Yasuke's stealth, and I'm suddenly sold on playing Yasuke like a clumsy Snake in Metal Gear Solid 3
Alien Earth teaser
New Alien: Earth teaser introduces us to new cast members and the cutest little cat – and if a Xenomorph eats it, I will be furious
Three RTX 5070 gaming PCs on a purple background
I'm surprised to see some RTX 5070 gaming PCs under $2,000 - these are the three prebuilds I'd buy this week