Lucasfilm’s upcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte is one of the many projects currently being developed by Lucasfilm, and it’s hoping to bring something unique and different to the franchise.
The story is set 100 years before the Skywalker Saga begins during the end of the High Republic era, and it’s a mystery thriller. The series is being developed by Leslye Headland, the creator of the hit Netflix series Russian Doll, and she is bringing the story formula of that show to the Star Wars universe.
During an interview with Total Film, Hedlund talked about the series and explained how exactly The Acolyte is like Russian Doll.
Hedlund said: “The Acolyte is a mystery. It’s similar to Russian Doll, which was really about giving the audience information episode by episode, this spiral of storytelling.”
The showrunner added: “This is a much larger landscape, but it similarly tackles the idea of ‘your eyes can deceive you’. You’re going to think the show is one thing, but then it’s going to gearshift into something else, and then do it again.”
I know a lot of fans aren’t very excited about this show, but that does sound interesting, and I do hope that this show ends up being better than what we are expecting.
In the series, Amandla Stenberg is Mae, a former Padawan and dangerous warrior who is hunting down and killing Jedi.
The story is described as “a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.” The High Republic is set 100 years before the Skywalker Saga begins.
In The Acolyte, “An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….”
The series also stars Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae as the Jedi Master, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, Carrie-Anne Moss, Margarita Levieva, Joonas Suotamo, and Amy Tsang.
The Acolyte will have eight episodes in total, with Headland, Garcia Lopez, and Kogonada directing episodes of the series. It’s set to premiere on June 4, 2024, on Disney+.
