In just six episodes, The Acolyte has taken viewers to various exotic planets located in a galaxy far, far away. But, the show’s real-world filming locations are much more down to Earth.
The Acolyte is following in the footsteps of other entries in the Star Wars timeline by taking its audience to new planets across its vast universe.
From the rocky cavern lair of Mae’s master to the densely populated city where the Jedi Order currently resides, there’s no shortage of unique destinations.
Unfortunately, no one can visit the worlds shown in The Acolyte. However, you can get the next best thing by visiting the series’ various filming locations.
The Acolyte filming locations
All eight episodes of The Acolyte were filmed in either the UK or Portugal, and they used a mix of real scenery and sound stages to bring the show to life.
Much like its story, the show differed from other Star Wars TV series by using never-before-seen locations in order to make the world feel fresh.
However, The Acolyte used at least one place that Lucasfilm fans will be familiar with, so let’s break down all the major shooting locations.
Jedi Temple
Location: Shinfield Studios, Berkshire
The entirety of The Acolyte’s interior sequences and principal filming were shot at Shinfield Studios, a very popular location for shows and movie productions in the UK.
Shinfield opened in 2021 and has been the location of other big-budget projects, such as Venom and Jumanji: The Next Level.
The Acolyte also used the woods found in the nearby Englefield Estate, seen in works like X-Men: First Class and Black Mirror.
While the studio and estate are beautiful enough to put on screen, they are not open to the public, so you can’t use them for your next lightsaber battle.
Khofar
Location: Madeira, Portugal
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Nearly a quarter of The Acolyte was filmed on the island of Maderia, including Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca’s home planet of Khofar.
Many aerial shots feature the laurel forest of Fanal, cities such as Caniçal and Ribeira da Janela, and smaller isles like Desertas and Selvagens.
The island had never been used as a filming location before, so each spot gave The Acolyte a unique atmosphere.
“Madeira was the only place that offered us most of the places we needed to find on a single island,” Acolyte producer Damian Anderson told Portugal’s Expresso. “It offered environments we had never seen before and gave us the opportunity to expand our creativity to create new worlds.”
While most productions would wait out storms and rain to get the perfect shot, The Acolyte crew actually incorporated Madeira’s unpredictable weather into the overall look of the show.
Kelnacca’s hideout
Location: Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales
The Acolyte’s more lush outdoor settings, including Kelnacca’s hideout, were filmed in Brecon Beacons National Park.
South Wales is not a new location to Lucasfilm as the show Willow also held their production in the area, but The Acolyte marks the first time any Star Wars project was shot in the country.
While the crew mostly stayed in the national park, some scenes were filmed near Trago Mills in Merthyr Tydfil, where the show’s production office was located.
In the show’s press release, production designer Kevin Jenkins, who also worked on Rise of Skywalker, explained how The Acolyte’s visual look needed to reflect a world set 100 years before the Galactic War shown in the prequel movie trilogy.
“You have to remember that they weren’t at war in the middle of the Roman Empire,” Jenkins said. “What Rome looked like at 400 B.C. as compared to 5 A.D. was not the same, so we took that approach with creating an older, more peaceful version of the galaxy than we’ve seen so far.”
Jenkins added that the crew’s decision to use practical locations was meant to “ground the series in lush, real-world details in homage to the original trilogy of Star Wars.”
Out of all The Acolyte’s filming spots, Brecon Beacons National Park offers the most opportunities for tourists. You can hike up its various trails, mountain bike across its vast ranges, and ride horses across its fields.
For more Star Wars, read everything we know about the Andor Season 2 release date and Tales of the Jedi Season 2. Or check out new movies and TV shows streaming in July.