While we await the end of “Andor” and the continuation of “The Mandalorian” saga, the folks over at Lucasfilm have another new series on the horizon, which aims to be the “Star Wars” series most disconnected from the Skywalker Saga, titled “The Acolyte.” And with production now underway, Lucasfilm is willing to share some details about the new series.
According to Disney, “The Acolyte” has finally begun filming. Not only that, the studio is willing to finally confirm all the casting reports from the past year or so. “The Acolyte” is set to star Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, and Carrie-Anne Moss. That’s quite the ensemble for the series, which is also expected to have very minimal cameos or Easter Eggs from the pre-existing film franchise.
What makes “The Acolyte” such as interesting prospect is that the series takes place in the final days of the High Republic era, which is approximately 200 years or so before the events of the Skywalker Saga. This is the age of Jedi that was hinted at in George Lucas’ story, where the Jedi Order was a prevalent force for good.
“The Acolyte” is created, showrun, and produced by Leslye Headland, of “Russian Doll” fame. She will also direct the first episode of the series.
There’s no release date for “The Acolyte” just yet. However, if production has started now, then it’s a safe assumption we could see the series debut on Disney+ sometime toward the end of 2023.
Here’s the synopsis:
“The Acolyte” is 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.