Star Wars: The Phantom Menace returns to theaters this weekend to celebrate the movie's 25th anniversary. With a month or so before The Acolyte premieres on Disney+, Lucasfilm is looking to build hype for that by attaching an extended preview to the 1999 movie.
Now, days before Episode I returns to the big screen, that sneak peek has leaked online.
It kicks off with Amandala Stenberg's Mae entering a cantina and approaching a hooded figure who we soon learn is Carrie-Anne Moss's Jedi Master Indara.
A fight ensues which makes use of martial arts and the Force, with Indara eventually wielding her green lightsaber as the footage comes to an end (it's then followed by a previously released trailer). The action here is top-notch and may sway those who have written The Acolyte off before it's even begun.
"She is very much inspired by Trinity," showrunner Leslye Headland previously said of Indara, adding that casting Moss was a "no-brainer."
"I personally wanted to see someone who had the highest status you could imagine in a Force-fu fight - somebody that would come in and you immediately would be like, ‘Oh, that’s the most powerful Jedi in the room.’ And that’s Trinity," Headland teased.
For Moss, Headland's vision for The Acolyte is what sold her on playing a Jedi Master in a series which will see her character, and others, investigate what many fans expect to be the resurgence of the Sith.
"I felt that a few times in my career with some of the big things I’ve done - Memento, The Matrix - where you’re talking to the filmmaker and you just go, 'Oh, they totally get it,'" she said last month. "Within my soul and my spirit, to get to play this Jedi Master and train for the fight was [an] amazing experience."
"A part of me forgot how much I love action. I love it. It’s hard. But I was just really thrilled that I could do it, and I wanted to do it well. 'Gimme another take! Gimme another take!'"
You can check out the leaked footage from The Acolyte in the X post below.
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 (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems...
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
The Acolyte comes from creator and showrunner Leslye Headland (Russian Doll), who also serves as executive producer alongside Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana are the co-executive producers, and Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson are producing.
The next Star Wars TV series will premiere on Disney+ on June 4.