Posted in: Disney+, Preview, Star Wars, streaming, Trailer, TV | Tagged: ccxp mexico, lucasfilm, preview, star wars, The Acolyte, trailer
The Acolyte Celebrates "Star Wars Day" with Official Trailer & More
In honor of "Star Wars Day," check out a new trailer for Leslye Headland's Amandla Stenberg & Lee Jung-jae-starring Star Wars: The Acolyte
Article Summary
- Star Wars: The Acolyte debuts trailer and key art on Star Wars Day.
- Amandla Stenberg reunites with Jedi Master, played by Lee Jung-jae.
- The series explores the High Republic era's shadowy secrets.
- Amandla Stenberg discusses her heavy role and show's themes.
What better day than "Star Wars Day" (May the Fourth Be With You!) to get an official trailer for Leslye Headland's (Russian Bride) Amandla Stenberg (The Eddy) & Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game)-starring Star Wars: The Acolyte? Lucasfilm and Disney+ must've been thinking the same thing because that's exactly what they released – and what we have waiting for you above. Taking viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era, The Acolyte sees a former Padawan (Stenberg) reunite with her Jedi Master (Jung-jae) to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated. But that's not all – with the "Star Wars" series set to have a panel today at CCXP Mexico, we also have new preview images and an amazing key art poster – here's a look:
The Acolyte Honors/Challenges "Star Wars" Ethos: Amandla Stenberg
During an interview with C Magazine, Stenberg shared how Headland pitched to series to her. "All the artwork was conceptualized with my face, and Leslye was like, 'So I've been working on this for about three or four years for you. I don't know what I'm going to do if you don't do it. No pressure," Stenberg revealed. "So I was sent to the moon, of course."
Filmed mostly at Shinfield Studios in Berkshire, England, Stenberg found the experience quite different from past productions. "The crews are so hardcore, they're so hardworking, and it's very kind of hierarchical and competitive, and people work their asses off. It's very different, I think, than what I've experienced on most American sets," she explained. Another big difference between The Acolyte and Stenberg's previous work? "I have a really, really heavy load in this show, an abnormal load," she adds.
While she's understandably under strict "no spoilers" watch, Stenberg was able to discuss the show's thematic goals and the perspective that it's taking. "In the context of the Star Wars universe, it's a time of great peace, theoretically. It's also a time of an institution, and it's a time in which conceptions around the Force are very strict. And I think what we're trying to explore within our show is when an institution has a singular conception of how power can be used…we try to provide a lot of different perspectives and answers to that question," Stenberg explained. "The idea is to kind of honor the ethos of Star Wars and ideas around the Force and also challenge them, hopefully harmoniously."
Disney+, Lucasfilm, and Headland's The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers), Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim), Rebecca Henderson (Inventing Anna), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917), Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), Margarita Levieva (Revenge, The Deuce), Rebecca Henderson (Inventing Anna), and Chewbacca actor Joonas Suotamo as the Wookie Jedi Kel Naka. Headland directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102) – with directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) rounding out the lineup of directors. Along with Headland, Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef will executive produce (with Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson set to produce).