Star Wars: The Acolyte debuted fans' first look at the High Republic-set Disney+ series.
Per Variety, the footage was unveiled as a part of Star Wars Celebration 2023 and was shown exclusively to the in-attendance audience. The description provided emphasizes The Acolyte's battle scenes and the nature of power. "The footage... included shots of a Jedi temple, Carrie-Anne Moss in a fight with Amandla Stenberg that recalled the former’s Matrix performance, a gold lightsaber, and a pivotal shot at the end with a group of Jedis lighting up their sabers in unison," reads the provided rundown. "This is about power and who is allowed to use it," is the accompanying quote.
During the panel, Stenberg explained that The Acolyte as "Frozen meets Kill Bill," which is largely framed from the perspective of the villains. Set during the High Republic and the beginning of The Prequel Trilogy, the show is placing an emphasis on Force-users, specifically Jedi and their Sith enemies. Specific details on the plot have yet to be clarified but Lucasfilm has confirmed The Acolyte will adopt a darker tone than fans are used to and will largely fit into the genre of "mystery thriller."
Origin of the Sith
Speaking about how prevalent the Sith will be in The Acolyte, star Dafne Keen revealed that the Star Wars spinoff will be breaking new ground with its narrative. "It's set 100 years before the prequel movies, and it's kind of an explanation of how the Sith infiltrated the Jedi," Keen said. "It's a Sith-led story, which has never been done before."
Beyond Moss, Stenberg and Keen, The Acolyte also sports Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae, who shared some interesting observations about the show's production. "I actually felt that in some ways, filming sets in Korea are actually more efficient," Lee said. "There are many aspects of the work which are similar here and in Korea, but I feel that there are areas where the Korean method is more efficient. Of course, there are aspects I am learning from as well." It's currently unknown who the actor will be playing.
Despite the new footage, Star Wars: The Acolyte does not yet have a release window although Disney CEO Bob Iger has suggested the series will arrive on Disney+ in 2024.
Source: Variety