Lucasfilm is finally starting to move outside of the Skywalker family, it seems.
Previously described as a mystery-thriller, The Acolyte will follow a former Padawan recently reunited with her Jedi Master as they investigate a series of crimes. However, the forces they encounter are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
A recent guest on the Entertainment Weekly Dagobah Dispatch podcast, The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland (Russian Doll) touched on a number of interesting concepts including what sets the show apart from other Star Wars projects.
"What makes this show different and interesting is it's from the perspective of the bad guys or the villains of Star Wars. These are people who are using the Force in their own way, dipping into the darker sides of the Force, and are doing it without being sanctioned by the larger institution – which in this case is the Jedi. I just thought it was very interesting to do a show about the bad guys."
"It's almost flipped. We have more Jedi than you've seen in any of the Star Wars content, but at the same time I think you see more morally ambiguous characters than you’ve seen in other Star Wars content."
The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place Top Gun: Maverick), Dafne Keen (Logan, His Dark Materials), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim, Without Remose), Joonas Suotamo (Solo, Star Wars: The Last Jedi), and Carrie-Anne Moss (Iron Fist, The Matrix Resurrections).
A teaser trailer for the series was shown at Star Wars Celebration London in April 2023 but it has yet to be officially released.
The Acolyte will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era, a former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes but discovers the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.