Star Wars: The Acolyte Sets New Record Fans Are Begging For
Despite reports that Disney has planned to pare down upcoming Star Wars releases, the media conglomerate still has big plans for its current lineup of Disney+ series. One series, The Acolyte, promises to bring a record-breaking number of Jedi to the big screen, with a special focus on casting diversity, according to a recent episode of the Dagobah Dispatch podcast.
Many fans have been clamoring for an increase in diverse casting after recent success with the franchise such as John Boyega’s Finn and Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka.
Star Wars: The Acolyte will feature the most Jedi ever in a Star Wars production
Star Wars: The Acolyte is said to take place during the final days of the High Republic, during a time when Jedi were a powerful cabal of many force users. This has fans incredibly excited for the future of the franchise. Most of the Star Wars media we’ve seen throughout the franchise’s historic run has focussed on later years in the Star Wars canon when the Jedi were all but wiped out.
Showrunner Leslye Headland explained in a recent interview that her intention when crafting the show was to display the Jedi as a force to be reckoned with, in stark contrast to their portrayal in previous Star Wars outings.
The series’ timeline is also set to be the earliest point that fans have seen in live-action thus far, presenting events that take place far in advance of the prequel trilogy. This means that the Jedi-heavy series will focus on events that take place long before Anakin Skywalker has begun his tutelage under Qui-Gon Jinn.
Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s will focus on Jedi at the height of their power with no conflict raging in the background.
Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s focus on Jedi at the height of their power means that this will be the first foray into the Star Wars pantheon in which no galactic armed conflict is currently raging.
All this is to say that Star Wars: The Acolyte will surely serve as a major breath of fresh air for fans of the franchise, especially those who feel that the series has been stagnating through recent outings such as The Mandalorian‘s third season and The Book of Boba Fett, both of which have seen diminishing returns from an audience perspective.
The series is also one of many to focus on expanding diversity within the Star Wars franchise, with a cast consisting of many actors from all different walks of life. Star Wars: The Acolyte includes an all-star cast of Dafne Keen, Amandla Stenberg, Jodie Turner-Smith, Lee Jung-Jae, and The Good Place‘s Manny Jacinto.
Despite Lucasfilm’s latest announcements that many Star Wars projects will be culled in order to protect what remains of Disney‘s dwindling budget, the series still seems to be opening to a great deal of fanfare.
Star Wars: The Acolyte is set to arrive sometime in 2024.
Star Wars: The Acolyte is set to arrive sometime in 2024, though the specifics of the release date have yet to be announced at this time. Other series within the Star Wars canon expected to release between now and the premiere of Acolyte include Ahsoka, which opens with a two-episode premiere on August 23, as well as Skeleton Crew, and Andor Season 2.
