Back in 2020, Disney Investor Day shocked the world with the sheer amount of stories coming from all of Disney’s brands. What was even more impressive as there was a standout or a surprise series from each one of Disney’s core brands. For Lucasfilm, the surprise was The Acolyte.
The show is set to be a bold departure from The Skywalker Saga. The Acolyte sits on the edge of the High Republic Era. The High Republic is currently being fleshed out and developed by Star Wars comics, books, video games, and soon TV. The edge of the High Republic Era is about 100 years away from The Phantom Menace. So, it’s a big gap in time and the series promises to shift Star Wars into a new timeline and era.
“There are certainly reflections of things that people are going to recognize, and it will have connectivity in Star Wars,” says Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy in an interview with Vanity Fair.
Russian Doll co-creator Leslye Headland is creating the series and has been developing the project for almost two years.
“A lot of those characters haven’t even been born yet. We’re taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don’t know much about,” says Headland. “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?”
Headland describes the period as “the Renaissance, or the Age of Enlightenment” for the galaxy. With setting The Acolyte in this peaceful and prosperous period. It makes the mystery even greater on how the Sith make their comeback and the rise of Palpatine that will happen 100 years later.
“The Jedi uniforms are gold and white, and it’s almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about,” Headland says. “The idea is that they could have these types of uniforms because that’s how little they’re getting into skirmishes.”
The concept is intriguing as all get out, and The Acolyte is in its casting phase. Although it’s been heavily rumored that Amandla Stenberg is attached to star in the main role.
The Acolyte is coming soon to Disney+.
Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
