The Acolyte, a new Star Wars show set in the final days of the High Republic era, will be like “Frozen meets Kill Bill,” according to its creator.
Star Wars Celebration is happening in London this weekend, with fans from all over the planet converging on the Excel Centre to celebrate all that happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
As well as fresh updates for Andor Season 2, we’ve also learned a bit more about The Acolyte, one of the more mysterious projects in Star Wars’ upcoming slate.
During the first Celebration panel, showrunner Leslye Headland took to the stage to tease what to expect from the new series.
The Acolyte is “Frozen meets Kill Bill”
Headland billed the show as “Frozen meets Kill Bill” and cited inspirations from Akira Kurosawa and other Samurai films like The Hidden Fortress and Yojimbo.
The creator also explained how the series is set between the High Republic and beginning of the prequel trilogy, a time when “bad guys are outnumbered… they are the underdogs.”
Official logo for ‘THE ACOLYTE’. #SWCE pic.twitter.com/xEbnokdaPj
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 7, 2023
The official synopsis reads: “The Acolyte is 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. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.”
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The Acolyte to feature Jedi Wookie
Joonas Suotamo, who played Chewbacca in the sequel trilogy, will star as a Jedi Wookie in the series, with Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae playing a Jedi master.
The show also stars Amandla Stenberg, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
The first footage from the show opened with young padawans studying in a Jedi temple. “Close your eyes, your eyes can deceive you,” a voice said. “The force is powerful. It is power we must respect.”
“This isn’t about good or bad – this is about power and who is allowed to use it,” they added, before we saw someone scaling a huge wall. The footage ended with eight Jedi turning on their lightsabers in the dark.
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