A Jedi Killer Is on the Hunt in First Trailer for STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE
Lucasfilm has unleased the first trailer for the upcoming Star Wars series, The Acolyte. Fans have been very curious about this series, and judging from the trailer it looks like it’s going to be really cool! In the trailer, we learn that Amandla Steinberg is a former Padawan and dangerous warrior who is hunting down and killing Jedi. I’m actually pretty excited about this! I hope that it ends up actually telling a great Star Wars story!
The story is described as “a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.” The High Republic is set 100 years before the Skywalker Saga begins.
In The Acolyte, “An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems…."
The series also stars Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae stars as the Jedi Master, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, Carrie-Anne Moss, Margarita Levieva, Joonas Suotamo, and Amy Tsang.
Stenberg previously talked about the series, saying: “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. The idea is to kind of honor the ethos of Star Wars and ideas around the Force and also challenge them, hopefully harmoniously.”
Showrunner Leslye Headland has previously stated that The Acolyte will dedicate a lot of screen-time to "the antagonists, and described it as “Frozen meets Kill Bill.” She shared the that story will be told from the perspective of the villains and is set between the High Republic and the beginning of the prequel trilogy, “because this is when the bad guys are outnumbered.”
The series is described as a “spiritual war,” and it includes conflict between siblings, and parents, as well as a conflict between a master and an apprentice. It was reiterated the project is very much inspired by samurai films. It has been said to focus on the emergence of the Sith, a group of Dark Jedi set on conquering the galaxy. The '“acolyte” term has been used in the Star Wars universe to describe soldiers for the powerful Sith Lords.
The Acolyte will have eight episodes in total, with Headland, Garcia Lopez, and Kogonada directing episodes of the series. It’s set to premiere on June 4, 2024, on Disney+.