Posted in: Disney+, Preview, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: disney plus, lucasfilm, star wars, The Acolyte

The Acolyte: Headland Interested in Jedi Journey to "Phantom Menace"

Leslye Headland on why the time period that The Acolyte is covering is so interesting and how the show's "wars" will be much more personal.

Last month saw the release of the official trailer, key art poster & images for Leslye Headland's (Russian Bride) Amandla Stenberg (The Eddy) & Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game)-starring Star Wars: The Acolyte. Set for a two-episode premiere on Tuesday, June 4th, the mystery-thriller will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan (Stenberg) reunites with her Jedi Master (Jung-jae) to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated. Speaking with Empire for its recently released look at the upcoming series, Headland offered some insights into what makes this time period so fascinating.

"I was very interested in, how did the Jedi get to where they are in 'Phantom Menace'? You're definitely getting a sense that, with the Jedi, the writing may be on the wall," Headland explained. But with the Jedi firmly in charge and the Sith still lurking in the shadows, the "Star Wars" series will see the conflicts take on a much more personal tone to them. "The quote-unquote 'war' of this 'Star Wars' is a much smaller, more personal one," Headland added. "The war between people, the war between characters." But the show's creator doesn't want viewers to forget that the series is also a murder mystery – so expect some twists & turns. "It's one story with several reveals, and new clues and new information each episode. It's not just a mystery that you have to find out. It's not unlike 'Russian Doll.' It's almost like a spiral – it digs deeper and deeper and deeper," Headland teased.

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).

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