New Photo and Details Regarding the Wookiee Jedi Character Kelnacca in STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE
Lucasfilm’s upcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte is going to introduce fans to a new Wookiee character Kelnacca. What makes this Wookiee so interesting and different from any other that we’ve seen in the live-action franchise is that he’s a lightsaber-wielding Jedi!
Kelnacca is played by Joonas Suotamo in the series. He is the actor who played Chewbacca in the sequel trilogy as was as Solo. He explains in an interview with Empire, that playing this character was “another Star Wars dream come true.”
He said: “Ever since [I was] five years old, I've been fantasizing about being a Jedi, like every kid. When the word ‘Jedi’ was first mentioned [in talks for The Acolyte], I felt really excited – like a little kid who finally gets his favorite toy on his birthday.”
Suotamo went on to offer some insight on playing this character saying: “Peter told me right from the get-go that Chewbacca is a mime character. The audience doesn't understand what he's saying exactly, but they [interpret] his mannerisms, and every little twitch, and every little movement, and roar.”
He continued: “Kelnacca being a Jedi, that sets certain expectations to how you carry yourself in the line of duty, There are certain assumptions that can be made as to whether he lets his emotions take control of him to the extent that Chewbacca would, for example. It was very interesting to bake that into the character and try to personify that on screen.”
Kelnacca isn’t the first Wookiee Jedi in the Star Wars franchise. The Clone Wars Youngling arc introduced us to Jedi Gungi and the High Republic era of novels and comics featured Force-wielding Wookiee Padawan Burryaga on the page.
When talking about this character from the books, Suotamo said: “I was aware of the character, and I talked to the High Republic writers at a convention. I also wanted to differentiate Kelnacca from Burryaga, and not copy too much from those stories.”
In the series, Amandla Steinberg is a former Padawan and dangerous warrior who is hunting down and killing Jedi.
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.
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+.