THE ACOLYTE Showrunner Reveals How THE CLONE WARS Inspired Her New STAR WARS Series

The showrunner for Star Wars: The Acolyte, Leslye Headland, has revealed that The Clone Wars was a big inspiration for the new series, specifically the episode “The Wrong Jedi.”

While talking with IGN about this, explaining that she liked the idea of playing with the moral grey areas of the franchise and how the Nightsisters were a major inspiration.

She said: “The Clone Wars [inspired The Acolyte], a lot being inspired by Nightsisters. We don't have any Nightsisters in this show, but being inspired by them, being inspired by Asajj Ventress. My favorite episode is 'The Wrong Jedi.' I definitely took some inspiration from that.”

The Acolyte will honor a lot of different eras of the franchise, and Headland previously said: "It's a show packed with everything I wanted to explore: I wanted EU [Expanded Universe] stuff in there, references to the original trilogy, The Phantom Menace, the Disney sequels… it's absolutely packed. Because you never know, you may not get the chance again."

The Acolyte 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.

Amandla Steinberg plays a former Padawan and dangerous warrior who is hunting down and killing Jedi.

In the story, “An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master 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 as Jedi Master Sol, 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+.