The trailer and key artwork have arrived for Lucasfilm’s newest original series, Star Wars: The Acolyte, set to kick off on Disney+ this June. Trailer above and poster below.
Set during the era of the High Republic, approximately 100 years before The Phantom Menace, the series follows a revered Jedi Master (Squid Game‘s Lee Jung-jae) who faces a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg, Bodies Bodies Bodies) when looking into a shocking crime spree. As the investigation progresses, they embark on a journey fraught with peril – a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.
The cast also includes Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
“If Star Wars is about the underdog versus the institution, [in The Acolyte] the Jedi are the institution,” series creator Leslye Headland (co-creator of Netflix series Russian Doll) told StarWars.com. “I was so interested in a storyline where the Jedi were at the height of their power — and I don’t mean The Phantom Menace, because at that point, there’s a Sith Lord in the Senate that they’re not picking up on.” Headland was keen to head further back in time – to when seeing a Sith seemed very unlikely. “Like it’s a thing I’ve heard of, but it’s not a thing that you would ever consider you’d be interacting with.”
Headland takes the reins as director for the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102), with additional episodes directed by Columbus and After Yang helmer Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107); The Witcher and Daredevil helmer Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105), and Star Trek: Discovery and Westworld helmer Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108). Award-winning composer Michael Abels, renowned for his compositions in Get Out and Us, lends his talents on the score .
The show’s team of executive producers includes Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana serve as co-executive producers, while Rayne Roberts, Damian Anderson, Eileen Shim, and Rob Bredow contribute as producers.
Star Wars: The Acolyte will be kicking off with a two-episode premiere on Disney+ on June 4th.
