Posted in: Disney+, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: amandla stenberg, Lee Jun-jae, Leslie Headland, Star Wars: The Acolyte, The Acolyte

The Acolyte Cast, Showrunner on Exploring New Star Wars Territory

The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland and stars Amandla Stenberg & Lee Jung-jae on how the series is a different kind of Star Wars project.

Star Wars fans have enjoyed nearly 50 years of lore-building since the original A New Hope's release in 1977. The vast bulk of the storytelling takes place within the confines of The Skywalker Saga, which tells the stories of Anakin, Luke, and Rey as primary protagonists battling the forces of evil. While the narrative has stuck to that timeframe across film and television, fans have been able to enjoy the franchise universe beyond The Old Republic era. With Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012, they rewrote the narrative dropping the Extended Universe, rebranding it as Legends before creating the new stories we see today. Their boldest step is the Disney+ series The Acolyte, which takes place before the events of 1999's The Phantom Menace. Two of the stars of the series, Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae, along with showrunner Leslye Headland, spoke with Entertainment Weekly (prior to the WGA and SAG strikes) about what to expect from seeing a Star Wars project with the "war."

"The Acolyte stands out because it is the earliest in the Star Wars timeline that we have ever been in live-action," Headland said. "We are toward the end of the High Republic, leading into George's prequels, so we are looking at a time period where the Jedi are at the height of their power." When it comes to putting the state of the galaxy into context, "We're looking at a time period where there is peace throughout the galaxy. It was very challenging and interesting to make a Star Wars with no war in it. So the question became, 'Well, what should the show be about if it's not going to be about galactic conflict?'"

When comparing The Acolyte compared to previous Star Wars projects, "I think that what makes this show different and interesting is that it's from the perspective of the villains of Star Wars," Headland explains. "These are people who are using the Force in their own way, dipping into the darker sides of the Force and are doing it without being sanctioned by the larger institution, which, in this case, is the Jedi." Another twist is that it's more focused on the villains instead of the heroes.

"Star Wars is always about some version of the underdog versus the institution," Headland said. "And I just thought it was very interesting to do a show about the bad guys and to set that during that time period made the most sense. So it's kind of almost flipped. We have more Jedi than you've seen in any of the Star Wars content, but at the same time, you see more morally ambiguous characters than you've seen in other Star Wars content."

As far as Stenberg's role, "It's a really interesting time in the galaxy," they said. "Because there are no wars, we get to lean into the underdogs and the moral ambiguity of these characters. And so I have the opportunity of playing something that holds a lot of moral and ethical conflict, which I think is my favorite part of Star Wars." On the other side of the narrative is Jung-jae's character. "I didn't know that I'd be playing a Jedi master," the Squid Game star said through a translator. "And this is a huge opportunity, which I'm still extremely grateful for. And to be playing in a film that I really enjoyed watching is still surreal for me. I can't believe I'm playing a Jedi master, and I get to use a lightsaber!"

For more, including Jung-jae describing his first-day experience on set, how the action will be different, and more, you can check out the interview here. Star Wars: The Acolyte releases on Disney+ in 2024.

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