Choice (The Acolyte)

''The Acolyte'', also known as ''Star Wars: The Acolyte'', is an American science fiction television series created by Leslye Headland for the streaming service Disney+. It is part of the ''Star Wars'' franchise, set at the end of the High Republic era before the events of the Skywalker Saga, and follows a Jedi investigation into a series of crimes.

Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Charlie Barnett, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Carrie-Anne Moss, Manny Jacinto, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, Margarita Levieva, Lauren Brady, Leah Brady, Harry Trevaldwyn, and David Harewood star in the series. Headland expressed interest in working on the ''Star Wars'' franchise by the end of 2019, and was developing a new series for Lucasfilm by April 2020. She wanted to explore the franchise from the perspective of the villains. The title was announced in December 2020. Filming took place at Shinfield Studios in Berkshire from October 2022 to June 2023, with location filming in Wales and Portugal.

''The Acolyte'' premiered on Disney+ with its first two episodes on June 4, 2024. The following six episodes were released weekly through July 16. Reviews by critics were generally favorable. The series, which divided fans of the franchise, became the subject of a review bombing campaign and received lower viewership ratings than previous ''Star Wars'' series. It was canceled in August 2024 due to low viewership and going over budget.

Premise

''The Acolyte'' is set at the end of the ''Star Wars'' franchise's High Republic era, approximately 100 years before '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' (1999). It sees a respected Jedi Master investigating a series of crimes that bring him into contact with a former Padawan learner and reveal sinister forces.

Cast and characters

Main

* Amandla Stenberg as Verosha "Osha" and Mae-ho "Mae" Aniseya:
Twin sisters who were separated by a tragedy when they were young. Osha is the former Padawan learner of Sol who left the Jedi Order due to "internal turmoil" she has regarding her connection to the Force. Mae is presumed dead until she re-emerges as a dangerous warrior using the dark side of the Force. Stenberg studied the ''Star Wars'' films and the online encyclopedia Wookieepedia in preparation for the series, and she wrote backstories for both her characters. She compared them to the concept of yin and yang: Mae represents the yin, with Stenberg describing her as intuitive and acting based on emotion; Osha represents the yang, with a more "masculine" façade hiding her fragility. Shanice Archer was Stenberg's performance double for scenes in which both Osha and Mae appear, with different techniques used to achieve the final effect.
** Lauren Brady as young Osha
** Leah Brady as young Mae
* Lee Jung-jae as Sol:
A respected Jedi Master. Lee was surprised that creator Leslye Headland wanted him for the character based on his performance in ''Squid Game'' as Seong Gi-hun, feeling the two characters were very different. The series is Lee's first English language role, and he worked with two dialect coaches starting four months ahead of filming to be able to perform his lines. He took inspiration from previous Jedi Masters in the franchise, particularly Liam Neeson's performance as Qui-Gon Jinn, and worked with Headland to be specific about the character's emotions in each scene due to Sol having to balance a Jedi's control of emotions with his complicated feelings about Osha and Mae.
* Charlie Barnett as Yord Fandar: A by-the-book Jedi Knight who aids Sol and Jecki
* Dafne Keen as Jecki Lon: Sol's current young Padawan. Jecki is half-human, half-Theelin just like Rystáll Sant, a background character from the 1997 special edition of the film ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983).
* Rebecca Henderson as Vernestra Rwoh: A senior member of the Jedi Order who rose to prominence as a young prodigy
* Jodie Turner-Smith as Mother Aniseya: The leader of a coven of Force witches who created Osha and Mae using the Force
* Carrie-Anne Moss as Indara:
A Jedi Master proficient in "Force-fu" fighting, who is killed by Mae at the start of the series. Headland wanted the audience to immediately feel that Indara was "the most powerful Jedi in the room". She was inspired by Moss's portrayal of Trinity in ''The Matrix'' film series when creating the character and intended for audiences to see Indara as "Trinity with a lightsaber". Headland felt the character's death set the tone for the series, established that Jedi can be killed, and indicated that audience assumptions about who is good and bad could be wrong. Moss bonded with Stenberg on set over their shared spiritual background.
* Manny Jacinto as the Stranger:
Mae's Sith master who initially disguises himself as a smuggler and apothecary named "Qimir". He was inspired by the character Drunken Cat from the film ''Come Drink with Me'' (1966). The first-season finale reveals that he was previously the Jedi Padawan of Vernestra. Headland said the character's true name would be revealed in a potential second season and confirmed that he is now the apprentice of Sith lord Darth Plagueis.
* Dean-Charles Chapman as Torbin: A scarred Jedi Master who took the Barash Vow, floating in a silent state of Force meditation for over a decade. This vow was introduced in the '' Star Wars: Darth Vader'' comic book (2017).
* Joonas Suotamo as Kelnacca: A Wookiee Jedi who lives a solitary life
* Margarita Levieva as Mother Koril: A Zabrak witch who carried Osha and Mae
* Harry Trevaldwyn as Mog Adana: A Jedi padawan who aids Vernestra
* David Harewood as Rayencourt: A Republic senator who mistrusts the Jedi Order

Guest

* Thara Schöön as Tasi Lowa: Yord Fandar's Padawan
* Derek Arnold as Ki-Adi-Mundi: a Cerean Jedi Master
* Hassan Taj as Bazil: a Tynnan tracker who helps the Jedi. The Tynnans were introduced in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe (EU) novel '' Han Solo's Revenge'' (1979).

The season finale features brief cameo appearances from Jedi Master Yoda—portrayed using a puppet—and the Sith lord Darth Plagueis. Plagueis was first referenced in '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' (2005) and further explored in EU works, but this series is the character's first on-screen appearance. The character is depicted to be a Muun, the species that he was established as in the EU.

Episodes

Production

Development

At the premiere of the film '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (2019), television writer Leslye Headland was asked about her interest in the ''Star Wars'' franchise and revealed that she was a big fan with many ideas for ''Star Wars'' films that she wanted to make if she was asked to by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Headland contacted Lucasfilm to discuss her ideas after completing work on her television series ''Russian Doll'' (2019–2022), and pitched a new ''Star Wars'' television series with a first-season outline and full series bible. Kennedy agreed to begin work on the series during that initial pitch meeting. In April 2020, Headland was publicly revealed to be writing and showrunning a new female-centric ''Star Wars'' series for the streaming service Disney+. Staffing for the series had begun and it was expected to be set in a different part of the franchise's timeline from previous ''Star Wars'' projects.

Lucasfilm confirmed Headland's series was in development on May 4, 2020, which is ''Star Wars'' Day. At Disney's Investor Day event on December 10, Kennedy announced the title, ''The Acolyte'', and said the series was set at the end of the High Republic era before the events of the main ''Star Wars'' films. Lucasfilm executive Rayne Roberts was developing the series with Headland, who was influenced by the games and novels of the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe (EU). The first season consists of eight episodes, with Headland directing the first two. Alex García López and Kogonada were hired to direct episodes by February 2023, and Hanelle Culpepper was revealed to have directed episodes in March 2024. Executive producers include Headland, Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef, with Roberts, Damian Anderson, Eileen Shim, and Rob Bredow producing. The series went over its budget, reported to be $180 million, crossing $230.1 million by the end of September 2023 when it was in post-production. Disney received $46.5 million from the UK government's 25.5% Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit.

In March 2024, Headland said she had pitched multiple seasons of the series to Lucasfilm and had a plan for a second season if it was ordered. However, she wanted to take a break after the first season was released due to its long production timeline, and so she could respond to any feedback from fans on the first season when developing the second. After the first season had been released in July, Headland said she had not heard anything from Lucasfilm about making a second season but noted that she had set up future storylines in the first-season finale. In August, the series was canceled after one season when Lucasfilm opted not to continue with the series. This was reportedly due to going over budget and having low viewership, with Disney+ having a "high viewership threshold for renewing high-end, big-budget series". ''The Hollywood Reporter'' speculated that evolving viewing habits in the streaming era and "the erosion of goodwill of the ''Star Wars'' brand" also factored into the decision.

Writing

A writers' room for the series was assembled by June 2021. Headland made sure the group included writers with different relationships to ''Star Wars'', including some who were only fans of the original trilogy, some who were specifically fans of Dave Filoni's ''Star Wars'' projects, and one writer who had never seen ''Star Wars'' before. The series' writers included Jason Micallef, Charmaine DeGrate, Jasmyne Flournoy, Eileen Shim, Claire Kiechel, Kor Adana, Cameron Squires, Jocelyn Bioh, and Jen Richards. When pitching the series to Lucasfilm, Headland described it as "'' Frozen'' meets '' Kill Bill''". In May 2022, Headland said writing was mostly complete.

Headland wanted to explore the ''Star Wars'' franchise from the perspective of the villains. She felt the High Republic era would be the best point in the timeline to do this because the villainous Sith are considerably outnumbered and in hiding during this time. Lucasfilm also wanted to depict the time period on screen after recently launching a publishing initiative set in the era, and because they wanted to explore new parts of the ''Star Wars'' timeline away from the films and other series. Headland noted that ''The Acolyte'' was the earliest point in the ''Star Wars'' timeline to be seen in live-action at that point. She wanted to address some fan criticisms of the ''Star Wars'' films, such as how Darth Sidious ascends to power without the Jedi knowing: "How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? hatwent wrong?" She considered herself lucky to be able to ask those questions in an actual ''Star Wars'' project. A key franchise theme for Headland was "underdog versus institutional threat", and in this part of the timeline it is the Jedi who are the main institution. In contrast to the Jedi in the films, who are monk-like figures in times of war, Headland said the High Republic Jedi live in a time of peace and enlightenment akin to the Renaissance. The series questions the Jedi practice of training children, and also explores differing views on the Force and the amount of power and control that the Jedi have. Headland wanted to portray the Jedi as fallible rather than make them antagonists.

''The Acolyte'' is a mystery thriller with a serialized story that builds throughout the first season, inspired by the approach of fellow ''Star Wars'' series '' Andor''. Because there are no overarching conflicts or wars in the series—Headland said it was "interesting to make a ''Star Wars'' with no war in it"—the fight sequences are more intimate, focusing on duels that further develop the characters. Noting that ''Star Wars'' creator George Lucas was originally influenced by Westerns and Akira Kurosawa's samurai films, Headland decided to take more influence from martial arts films which she felt were "a little bit more personal and less global and galactic". These included wuxia films by King Hu and Shaw Brothers Studio such as ''Come Drink with Me'' (1966) and ''A Touch of Zen'' (1971). Similar to the ''Star Wars'' series ''The Mandalorian'', ''The Acolyte'' includes Easter eggs for fans of the original trilogy, prequel trilogy, and the animated series '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', as well as references to the EU and ''Star Wars'' Legends. EU references include members of the Theelin and Zygerrian species as well as some narrative elements. The series introduces a coven of Force witches, separate from the Nightsister witches seen in previous ''Star Wars'' projects, inspired by mentions of Force cults in the High Republic books and the EU.

Headland took inspiration from the film ''Rashomon'' (1950) to depict events from multiple perspectives, specifically the Brendok tragedy which is the central mystery of the series. The third and seventh episodes are entirely flashbacks to the events on Brendok; the third episode tells those events from the perspective of the coven of witches, while the seventh episode tells them from the perspective of the Jedi. This idea of duality is also explored in other ways throughout the series, such as through twin protagonists Osha and Mae. It was important to Headland that the main storyline for the twins was resolved by the end of the season, but other elements such as the relationship between the Jedi and the Galactic Senate were left to be further explored in a second season. She regretted not having the time to explore the character Vernestra Rwoh more in the first season.

Casting

Casting was underway by the end of June 2021, when Lucasfilm were looking to hire a young woman of color for the lead role. Amandla Stenberg was in talks for that part in December, and was confirmed to be cast in July 2022. Jodie Turner-Smith and ''Russian Doll'' co-star Charlie Barnett entered final negotiations to join the series in September 2022, when Lee Jung-jae and Manny Jacinto were cast. Lee was cast as the male lead, after Headland was impressed with his performance in the television series ''Squid Game''. At the start of November, Dafne Keen was revealed to have a role in the series. Soon after, Lucasfilm confirmed the casting of Stenberg, Lee, Jacinto, Turner-Smith, Barnett, and Keen, and announced the casting of Dean-Charles Chapman, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Headland's wife Rebecca Henderson. Headland had Stenberg, Barnett, and Keen in mind when creating their characters; she wanted to see Keen with a lightsaber after her performance as the character X-23 in '' Logan'' (2017). Margarita Levieva was cast by the start of December in what was reported to be a guest role.

At ''Star Wars'' Celebration London in April 2023, Joonas Suotamo was revealed to be part of the cast as Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca. Suotamo previously portrayed the Wookiee Chewbacca in the sequel trilogy films and '' Solo: A Star Wars Story'' (2018). Also at the convention, Lee, Keen, Barnett, Henderson, and Moss were revealed to be playing Jedi, with Henderson cast as High Republic character Vernestra Rwoh. In March 2024, Headland said Vernestra was the only character from the High Republic books that would appear in the first season, but there were other High Republic characters that she hoped to include in a potential second season. She felt Vernestra was important for showing the state of the Jedi Order in the series, contrasting her role as a leader in the Order with the young prodigy she is depicted as in the books. Also that month, character details for most of the main cast were revealed: Stenberg as the mysterious warrior Mae, Lee as Jedi Master Sol, Jacinto as former smuggler Qimir, Keen as Padawan learner Jecki Lon, Barnett as Jedi Knight Yord Fandar, Turner-Smith as coven-leader Mother Aniseya, and Moss as Jedi Master Indara. Headland said it was a "no-brainer" to cast Moss as Indara given Headland was inspired by Moss's portrayal of Trinity in ''The Matrix'' film series when creating the character.

In April 2024, David Harewood was reported to have a small role in the series. At the end of May, a week before the series premiered, Headland confirmed longstanding rumors that Stenberg was actually portraying two characters: Mae and her twin sister Osha. She also said major characters from the films, such as Yoda who is alive during the series' time period, would not be appearing; despite this, Yoda is seen in a brief cameo appearance. A younger version of the Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi, a character from the prequel films, also appears. Derek Arnold took over for performer Silas Carson.

Design

The series' creative team included production designer Kevin Jenkins, costume designer Jennifer Bryan, and creature designer Neal Scanlan. Headland explained that the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy has a lived-in quality while the prequel films are sleeker and more advanced. With ''The Acolyte'', she carried on this concept of "the further you go back, the more exciting and new and sleek and interesting things look". It was important for her to replicate the white and gold Jedi robes from the High Republic books to symbolize the state of the Order, compared to the brown robes later worn in the films. Bryan and Scanlan worked together on the Stranger's helmet, which features a "toothy" smile design. Headland was inspired for this by the "grotesque" rabbit costume from the film ''Donnie Darko'' (2001). The character's costume also includes elements from previous ''Star Wars'' villains Darth Vader and Darth Maul. The helmet is made from the metal cortosis which temporarily shorts-out lightsabers. Headland was excited to bring cortosis, which was created for the EU, to live-action with the series.

Filming

Principal photography began by October 30, 2022, at Shinfield Studios in Berkshire, under the working title ''Paradox''. Headland, Kogonada, Lopez, and Culpepper directed two episodes each. Chris Teague and James Friend were the cinematographers, with Teague returning from ''Russian Doll'' to work with Headland. The series was initially reported to be using visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic's StageCraft technology to shoot in front of digital backgrounds on a video wall, as was done for ''The Mandalorian'' and its spin-off series, but Headland later said the series was primarily filmed on practical sets and did not use the technology, for creative and logistical reasons.

Location filming began in Wales by January 2023, including at Brecon Beacons National Park. From mid to late March, filming took place on Madeira Island, Portugal, including at Fanal Forest and the parishes of Caniçal and Ribeira da Janela

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