While many fans are still waiting to see Lucasfilm develop live-action projects set during The Old Republic that explores things like the Sith Empire (long before the Rule of Two) and origins of the Jedi Order, there was a bit of a compromise with the publishing side creating The High Republic setting. It takes place between the Skywalker Saga and The Old Republic. While it had been mostly relegated to books and comics, the upcoming Disney+ series “The Acolyte” will cover the tail end of that era of “Star Wars.”
READ MORE: ‘The Acolyte’: Kogonada To Direct Episodes Of The Upcoming ‘Star Wars’ Series
Creator/showrunner Leslye Headland (“Russian Doll“) has put together an impressive cast that includes Amanda Stenberg (“Bodies Bodies Bodies“) as a former Jedi Padawan, Lee Jung-Jae (“Squid Game“), Dafne Keen (“Logan“), Jodie Turner-Smith (“Without Remorse“), Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix“), Manny Jacinto (“The Good Place,” “Top Gun: Maverick“), Rebecca Henderson (“Werewolves Within“), Charlie Barnett (“Russian Doll”), Dean-Charles Chapman (“Game of Thrones,’ ‘1917“), and Margarita Levieva (“Daredevil: Born Again“).
The big event this weekend is Star Wars Celebration in London, where Lucasfilm is promoting a bunch of their live-action slate including “The Acolyte.” They’ve finally given more insight into the streaming series via first-look teaser footage, which Variety picked-up on. And the new details are enticing: actors Lee Jung-Jae and Carrie-Anne Moss play Jedi in the show that will debut sometime in 2024.
“The footage, shared only at the Celebration as the show is still filming, included shots of a Jedi temple, Moss in a fight with Stenberg that recalled the former’s “Matrix” performance, a gold lightsaber, and a pivotal shot at the end with a group of Jedis lighting up their sabers in unison. ‘This is about power and who is allowed to use it,’ was the key quote, which came before the 2024 date announcement.”
Headland compared the new series as a mix between “Frozen” meets “Kill Bill.” Another big tidbit announced was that actor Joonas Suotamo, who has been playing Chewbacca in multiple movies such as “Solo: A Star Wars Story” and the sequel trilogy is set to take the role of a Wookie Jedi in the series.
Here is the official synopsis for “The Acolyte”:
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. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
Recent Oscar-winning cinematographer James Friend (“All Quiet On The Western Front“) revealed during an interview with the L.A. Times that he’ll be working on the show as its director of photography. Lucasfilm has also tapped Kogonada (“After Yang“) to help direct an unknown amount of episodes.
“The Acolyte” debuts sometime in 2024 for an 8-episode run on Disney+.
