The Acolyte (TV series): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

[[Amandla Stenberg]], [[Lee Jung-jae]], [[Charlie Barnett (actor)|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. On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] and [[Metacritic]], critic reviews indicated generally favorable reception. The series, which divided fans of the franchise, received lower viewership ratings than previous ''Star Wars'' series and became the subject of a [[review bomb]]ing campaign. It was cancelled in August 2024 due to low viewership and going over budget.

== Premise ==

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== Cast and characters ==

~~[[File:20210923—Lee Jung-jae 이정재, interview, ELLE Taiwan screenshot (02m06s).jpg|left|thumb|Lee Jung-jae plays Sol.]]~~

=== Main ===

* [[Amandla Stenberg]] as Verosha "Osha" and Mae-ho "Mae" Aniseya:<br />Twin sisters who were separated by a tragedy when they were young. Osha is the former [[Padawan (Star Wars)|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.<ref name="OshaMaeGMA" /> Stenberg studied the ''Star Wars'' films and the online encyclopedia [[Wookieepedia]] in preparation for the series,<ref name="StenbergGQ" /> 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.<ref name="PremiereVariety" />

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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 (producer)|Kathleen Kennedy]].<ref name="HeadlandEp9Premiere" /> Headland contacted Lucasfilm to discuss her ideas after completing work on her television series ''[[Russian Doll (TV series)|Russian Doll]]'' (2019–2022), and [[Pitch (filmmaking)|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.<ref name="HeadlandMar2024THR" /> 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.<ref name="VarietyApr2020" />

Lucasfilm confirmed Headland's series was in development on May 4, 2020, which is ''Star Wars'' Day.<ref name="HeadlandConfirmed" /> 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 [[Star Wars: The High Republic|High Republic]] era before the events of the [[Skywalker Saga|main ''Star Wars'' films]].<ref name="LucasfilmProjects" /> Lucasfilm executive Rayne Roberts was developing the series with Headland,<ref name="Roberts" /> who was influenced by the games and novels of the [[Star Wars in other media|''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe]] (EU).<ref name="VanityFairMay2022Acolyte" /> The first season consists of eight episodes,<ref name="FilmingLocation" /> with Headland directing the first two.<ref name="Mar2024DetailsSW" /> Alex Garcia Lopez and [[Kogonada]] were hired to direct episodes by February 2023,<ref name="KogonadaGarcia" /> 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.<ref name="Mar2024DetailsSW" /> The ~~budget~~series ~~was~~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.<ref name="DisneyBudget" /><ref name="NYTMay2024" /> Disney received $46.5 million from the UK government's 25.5% Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit.<ref name="DisneyBudget" />

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.<ref name="HeadlandMar2024Collider" /> 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.<ref name="HeadlandJul2024EW" /> In August, the series was canceled after one season when Lucasfilm opted not to continue with the series.<ref name="SeriesCanceledDeadline" /> This was reportedly due to going over budget and having low viewership,<ref name="DisneyBudget" /><ref name="SeriesCanceledTHR" /> with Disney+ having a "high viewership threshold for renewing high-end, big-budget series".<ref name="SeriesCanceledDeadline" /> ''[[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.<ref name="SeriesCanceledTHR" />

=== Writing ===

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<ref name="SeriesCanceledTHR">{{Cite web |last1=Phillips |first1=Zoe G. |last2=Kit |first2=Borys |date=August 19, 2024 |title='The Acolyte' Season Two Not Moving Forward at Lucasfilm |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/the-acolyte-canceled-star-wars-1235978593/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820014002/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/the-acolyte-canceled-star-wars-1235978593/ |archive-date=August 20, 2024 |access-date=August 19, 2024 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>

<ref name="DisneyBudget">{{Cite web |last=Reid |first=Caroline |date=September 26, 2024 |title=Disney Reveals Star Wars Show ''The Acolyte'' Was Over Budget At $230 Million |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2024/09/26/disney-reveals-star-wars-show-the-acolyte-was-over-budget-at-230-million/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926080836/https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2024/09/26/disney-reveals-star-wars-show-the-acolyte-was-over-budget-at-230-million/ |archive-date=September 26, 2024 |access-date=September 29, 2024 |website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref>