It is a bizarre fact… but yes, Michael Jackson did want to play the character of Jar Jar Binks. Jackson was a big Star Wars fan. He had life-size statues of Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and C-3PO at his Neverland Ranch. Jackson also collaborated with Star Wars creator George Lucas in 1986 on a short film called Captain EO.
Singer Michael Jackson wanted to play 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.
Michael Jackson was the “King of Pop.” But he nearly became the King of Acting Flops. The singer reportedly told Star Wars mastermind George Lucas that he wanted to play goofy Gungan Jar Jar Binks, one of the most despised characters in film history, in the franchise's 1999 blockbuster, Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
George Lucas cited Goofy, a comical Walt Disney cartoon character as the inspiration for Jar Jar and named him as his favorite character, praising Ahmed Best for his performance.
What happened to the actor who played Jar Jar Binks?
Although Jar Jar Binks was sidelined in subsequent Star Wars films, Best has continued his connection with the franchise, most recently appearing as a Jedi named Kelleran Beq in Disney+ series The Mandolorian.
There was a lot of hate for Jar Jar when The Phantom Menace came out, mostly as a racist stereotype who was difficult to understand. Over time, he grew even less tolerable and became a symbol for how the prequels as a whole failed to capture what made the original trilogy so enjoyable.
It turns out Jackson wanted to play the Gungan Jar Jar Binks, who was portrayed by Ahmed Best via a motion-capture performance. The actor, who has previously confessed he considered suicide after the poor reception to his character, also returned to voice him in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
Ahmed Best is putting his best foot forward in the modern “Star Wars” franchise. Over two decades since his portrayal of the controversial Jar Jar Binks in the 1999 prequel film “The Phantom Menace,” Best appeared in Disney+ series “The Mandalorian” Season 3 as Jedi Kelleran Beq.
Having lost any prospects for the future, Jar Jar returned to Naboo and settled down in the capital city of Theed, where he became a street performer. Eventually, Jar Jar encountered a young boy named Mapo and took him on as an apprentice, teaching Mapo how to become a performer like Jar Jar himself was.
The driving force behind the Darth Jar Jar theory is that Binks was so absurdly clumsy and inept that it borders on theatrics. It's the perfect cover-up for a Sith apprentice who wanted to infiltrate the Republic, since he would be the last person anyone would suspect.
Of course, this probably wasn't George Lucas' plan at all. He intended Jar Jar to appeal to children, so it's highly doubtful that he'd have written the character as a secret Dark Lord of the Sith.
Affiliation(s) Jar Jar Binks was the first Gungan to represent his people in the Galactic Senate, first serving as a Junior Representative along with Senator Padmé Amidala, and then, after her death, serving as full Senator himself. Like most Gungans, Binks was lanky and spoke Basic with a unique accent.
Having been saved by Qui-Gon Jinn during the Trade Federation's initial invasion of Naboo, Jar Jar becomes the surprise companion of the Jedi Master and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, citing the sacred Gungan life debt as his obligation to stay by Qui-Gon's side.
Was Michael Jackson supposed to play Jar Jar Binks?
Michael Jackson wanted to play Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars, but his fame made it hard for people to take him seriously as an actor. Jackson's acting career was limited, with roles in Captain EO, The Wiz, Moonwalker, and music videos.
On the eve of the First Battle of Geonosis in 22 BBY, Junior Representative Jar Jar Binks convinced the Senate to increase the scope of the Chancellor's emergency powers because of the apparent threat of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
Jar Jar Binks was in a romantic relationship with Queen Julia of Bardotta. Queen Julia adored him and he her. In another time, Jar Jar could have been a royal consort. Unfortunately, Jar Jar was a Junior Representative of the Republic during the Clone Wars and Bardotta was a firmly neutral world.
Kin-Ya Dosun was a Gungan Jedi Knight who served the Jedi Order during the waning years of the Galactic Republic. Dosun trained the Jedi Padawan Kosa-Yin Hadu, a fellow Gungan. The pair disappeared around 33 BBY while on a mission from the Jedi Temple on the planet Coruscant.
It also seems to be taking on quite large fan theories, like the Darth Jar Jar theory. His appearance in the Rebuild the Galaxy teaser makes one of the longest-running fan theories about the prequel trilogy official, even though it doesn't make it canon.
And it was largely directed at not just Jar Jar as a character, but also Best, who received death threats over his performance. Some critics also considered the character a racial stereotype, which Best has previously addressed on multiple occasions. "It really wasn't easy," he recalls of the backlash.
Ahmed Best is an African-American actor, musician and dancer. He gained recognition for portraying Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).
In addition to Christensen and DiCaprio, there was a whole host of other performers vying for the role of Anakin, including Dawson's Creek stars James Van Der Beek and Joshua Jackson, as well as Eric Christian Olsen, Erik von Detten, Ryan Phillippe, and Chris Klein.
If not, the only logical explanation is that Jar-Jar is a member of the Sith. There are many theories surrounding the enigma that is Jar-Jar Binks. The most agreed upon theory, started by Reddit user Lumparoo in 2016, is that Jar-Jar is a powerful Force-user conspiring with Darth Sidious.
