Posted in: Disney+, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: amandla stenberg, disney, Leslye Headland, lucasfilm, star wars, Star Wars: The Acolyte
Star Wars: The Acolyte: Amandla Stenberg to Star in Disney+ Series
As Star Wars fans clamor for content that predates the prequels, Disney obliged in their upcoming live-action series The Acolyte, and anchoring the series will be Amandla Stenberg, the franchise Twitter account confirmed. The series will be set a century before the events of 1999's The Phantom Menace. It promises to depict the galaxy at the peak of the era of the High Republic when the Jedi were at their strongest and the Sith were believed to have been eradicated from the Galaxy. Stenberg was rumored linked to lead as far as December 2021 before it finally became official.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Production Details & Stenberg's Credits
Showrunning is Leslye Headland (Bachelorette, Russian Doll). The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take the audience into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. Stenberg's breakout role was playing Rue in 2012's The Hunger Games. They have also starred in FOX's TV adaptation of the supernatural series Sleepy Hallow, NBC sitcom Mr. Robinson, MGM's Everything, Everything (2017), 20th Century Studios' The Darkest Minds (2018) and The Hate U Give (2018), Netflix miniseries The Eddy, and Universal's Dear Even Hansen. Stenberg will star in A24's upcoming Bodies Bodies Bodies and can also be seen in the Showtime series ZIWE.
"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," Headland previously told Vanity Fair. "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?"