It’s been over three years since Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker was released. However, the world of Star Wars Saga has continued to grow. This year, we saw Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen return for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Andor is currently in its first season. The Mandalorian Season 3 is set to begin streaming soon, along with Rosario Dawson-starrer Ahsoka. Furthermore, Jude Law’s Skeleton Crew and The Bad Batch Season 2 are also in different stages of production. And now, Star Wars: The Acolyte has also begun filming in the UK.
According to ComicBook.com, Star Wars: The Acolyte production began at Shinefield Studios, with Leslye Headland heading the series as showrunner. Star Wars: The Acolyte will follow the events at least a hundred years before George Lucas’ Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Meaning, The Acolyte will very well become the first live-action story of the entire saga in the timeline order. The Acolyte takes precedence in the High Republic era, extensively explored in the multimedia project Star Wars: The High Republic, comprising several novels, comic books, and audio series.
Star Wars: The Acolyte will star Amandla Stenberg leading the show with Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae and Manny Jacinto. In an early interview, Headland had stated earlier that she had always wanted to expand Star Wars beyond Skywalker Saga by digging deep into the events that led up to The Phantom Menace and the rebellion against the Galactic Empire.
My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, ‘Well, how did things get to this point?’ How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate, and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?’ And why are the Jedi like this? When they are in power, why are they acting this way, and how is it that they’re not having the reaction that you would think they would to Anakin’s presence and what Qui-Gon Jinn is saying about how passionately he feels about training him and bringing him into the fold.
The Acolyte, set a century before The Phantom Menace, would feature a different set of characters. It’s possible that the show would add references to the Star Wars Saga as we know it. Still, it would be an entirely different story mainly because it would be the first time a live-action Star Wars project takes us to the era when the High Republic was in actual power.
Headland is Aware of The Phantom Menace’s Poor Reception
Star Wars: The Acolyte takes inspiration from The Phantom Menace, a project which is not among the most liked ones in the franchise. It is one of the most poorly received films of the saga. However, Leslye Headland suggests that she understands the divisive response to the movie but still believes that its core would help Acolyte build a strong backdrop. She said,
I know there were varying reactions to it. And certainly, there were a lot of people that had grown up with the original trilogy who were disappointed by it. But I actually was very intrigued by why George Lucas had started us at that particular point. I kind of wondered, but what happened to lead up to this? That’s kind of where my Star Wars fan brain went was like, ‘How did we get here?’
It would be unique to see new events set in the Star Wars Series and expand the series beyond the Skywalker Saga. There have been stories about the Republic and Empire battling against each other. But with Acolyte, there will be a deeper understanding of how these two factions came to become foes.
Star Wars: The Acolyte has no release date yet.