STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE Did Not Shoot on the Volume; More Easter Egg Insights
Star Wars: The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland (Russian Doll) has shared some additional insight on the series. One of the more interesting things she confirmed was that the project was not shot using the Volume. She said they "didn't use the Volume at all" to shoot the series.
While the Volume is a great filmmaking tool, I would like to see the Star Wars projects move away from it a little more. Star Wars: Andor also didn’t use the Volume and everything about it just looked better and more real. I liked that! So, I do like the fact that they shot the series on real set and real locations.
Headland went on to share some insights on the Easter eggs we’ll see in the series, saying: "You will see a little bit of Vernestra Rwoh from the High Republic novels. She ends up being live-action for the first time, so that’s definitely a cameo for that audience, I would say. You see a lot of cameos of alien species that I don’t think I’ve seen in post-Disney live-action, meaning a Zygerrian Jedi and a half-Theelin, half-human Jedi."
She added: "There’s also a lot of stuff from the EU that I got to utilize. Nobody stopped me, so I did it. So if you’re a fan, there will be a species that you might recognize. There are also certain narrative elements. Basically, there are enough Easter eggs if you’re a fan of the Original Trilogy, the Prequels or The Clone Wars. And then there’s some EU sprinkled in."
The Acolyte is set at the end of the Star Wars franchise's High Republic era, approximately 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). It sees a respected Jedi Master investigating a series of crimes that bring him into conflict with a former Padawan learner and reveal sinister forces.
The cast includes Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
I’m keeping my expectations in check for Star Wars: The Acolyte. I hope it’s better than what everyone is expecting it to be. The series arrives on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere on June 4.
Source: THR