The first two episodes of The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+, and Lucasfilm's latest live-action Star Wars series gets off to a shocking start.
Major spoilers follow.
In the series premiere, mysterious warrior Mae (Amandla Stenberg) confronts Jedi Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) in a cantina and tells her to attack "with everything she has." Initially dismissive, Indara soon finds herself staring into a familiar face from her past, and the battle is on.
Unable to get the better of the Jedi in a fair fight, Mae resorts to throwing one of her blades at the bartender, and when Indara uses the Force to stop the weapon before it strikes, the Dark-side assassin takes advantage of the distraction by flinging another knife into her opponent's chest.
Killing off the character many assumed was going to be one of the show's leads is certainly a ballsy movie, but why did Moss agree to such a small role? Showrunner Leslye Headland tells Variety that The Matrix icon simply “needed to be involved with the project at any costs," and taking her character out almost immediately was necessary to establish the tone of the series.
“I thought it was a good tone-setter for the show. [It shows] that the Jedis are going to take some losses, and that the good guys and the bad guys are not always who you think they are.”
Moss still hasn't weighed in on her quick exit, but Stenberg feels the decision regarding her character was “one of the boldest moves that Leslye Headland could have made in our show” - although she will miss working alongside her co-star.
“We actually grew up in the same spiritual community,” Stenberg says of Moss. “And so in working in Star Wars, which is very spiritual, there’s a lot of reflecting that I was doing— especially as I literally confronted myself as my soul was split into two people.”
“Carrie-Anne and I would have a lot of those conversations together,” she continues. “She just really offered me a guiding hand, and doubled down on the importance of taking care of yourself and staying grounded in the middle of this kind of work.”
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.
Leslye Headland created the series, based on Star Wars by George Lucas, and serves as an executive producer along with Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana are the co-executive producers. Rayne Roberts, Damian Anderson, Eileen Shim and Rob Bredow are the producers.
Headland also directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102). Directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) round out the directing duties on the series.
Award-winning composer Michael Abels, known for his work on Get Out and Us, scored The Acolyte.