Liam Neeson is one of the most well-recognized and talented actors in Hollywood. Starring in many massively successful projects like the Taken series, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, The Commuter, and The Grey, he has made a name for himself in the action movie genre as an incredibly well-versed and skilled actor, showing not only his versatility but also dedication to his craft and going above and beyond for his roles. He has also been nominated for an Acadamy Award in the category of Best Actor for his work in the 1993 film, Schindler’s List.

Liam Neeson as Ra’s al Ghul

Neeson’s appearance in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, more specifically, Batman Begins, as Ra’s al Ghul is incredibly memorable. So much so, that when the character was to make an appearance in the CW’s Arrow, he was asked to reprise his role as the character.

Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul Was Going To Make An Appearance In The Arrow

Liam Neeson‘s character taught Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne everything he needed to know to become Batman. Being the head of the League of Assassins, Ra’s al Ghul’s story is extremely intertwined with many characters in the comics, including The Green Arrow. It is because of this, that when the time came for the character to feature in the CW series following the hooded archer called The Arrow, Neeson was asked if he was interested in reprising his role as the character, showing up to help set Oliver Queen on the path to save his city.

Liam Neeson in a still from The Dark Knight Rises

“We never thought he would,” said Pedowitz. “We quickly went to him, just on the off-chance that he had the time to do it.”
While the character of Ra’s al Ghul was guaranteed to show up in the series, it wasn’t concrete that Neeson would be playing him. Mark Pedowitz, the president of The CW, revealed that the studio did not have any expectations that Neeson would be interested in joining the series, expecting him to not have enough time for it. Despite this, however, they still proceed to ask the actor for a long shot.

Liam Neeson Wanted To Be Part Of The Arrow

While many would expect an A-list actor like Liam Neeson to show no interest in being part of a television series like The Arrow, surprisingly enough, he did. Mark Pedowitz revealed that the actor was, in fact, very interested in being part of the show and reprising his role as Ra’s al Ghul.

Liam Neeson

Unfortunately, however, Pedowitz was right and Neeson was unable to find enough time in his schedule to appear in the series, ultimately having to let the opportunity go away. The role was then played by Matt Nable, who appeared in the series for the span of four different seasons.