The Acolyte showrunner compares new Star Wars series to The Last Jedi

Last weekend, Disney opened up about their plans for the future of the Star Wars galaxy: we have new movies, shows and games coming at us at lightspeed.

One of the new series coming to Disney+ is The Acolyte, a Star Wars TV show set before the prequel trilogy when the Jedi were at the height of their power…and the Sith were starting to stir. For the first time, a Star Wars show will take the perspective of the baddies. Naturally, the show will be more critical of the Jedi than we’re used to.

“I think it’s difficult to do a show that is critical in any way of the Jedi,” The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland told Collider. “And I think that you saw that with [Rian Johnson’s] film [The Last Jedi]. Do you know what I mean?”

"Like, I think that, especially in that moment, people were very nervous about saying this particular institution may not be the light and perfect, stunning group of heroes that are totally nobly intentioned. And one thing that I think [Star Wars producer Dave Filoni] would say is that they are fallible. That’s really the story that George told with the prequels, right? The fall of this particular group."

The Last Jedi, which came out in 2017, did indeed paint the titular last Jedi — Luke Skywalker — in a less-than-flattering light, something not all fans enjoyed. Then again, some fans loved it, so maybe courting controversy in The Acolyte is a good idea.

No plans for Star Wars Jedi show or Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2

In any case, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was on board with the idea pretty much from the jump. “I think when you think you’re going to tell the story about bad guys, and the Jedi’s might be the antagonist to those Jedi’s, I think that makes people nervous,” Headland said. “But it didn’t make Kathy nervous. And I will say that in that room, when I pitched her, it was probably one of the most exciting things because it felt like a conversation, and less like I was up for a job. It felt much more like, ‘Okay, but what are you going to do about this? And what are you going to do about that?’ And so I was able to fold in what I know about Star Wars, and what I love about Star Wars, into what she’s always pushing for, which is, ‘What’s the emotional throughline?'”

Kennedy herself talked to Entertainment Weekly about some of the Star Wars stuff coming our way, although it was mostly just updating fans on what isn’t happening…yet. For instance, if you’re hoping to see a TV or movie adaptation of the popular Star Wars Jedi video game series, where you play as Cal Kestis, you may be waiting awhile. “It could be really interesting. It’s not something that’s front and center right at the moment,” Kennedy said.

Likewise, don’t expect a second season of Obi-Wan Kenobi anytime soon. “[R]ight now it’s still our standalone limited series. We have no plans for expansion right now,” Kennedy said.

As for The Acolyte, that’s due out on Disney+ in 2024. The next big new Star Wars show is Ahsoka, which is coming in August.

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