Star Wars Celebration 2023 kics off with new details and footage for the upcoming Star Wars series, The Acolyte.
Star Wars Celebration 2023 is in full swing, and fans have gathered worldwide to experience the latest happenings in galaxies far, far away! Early in the event’s big presentation, exciting details about the upcoming Star Wars series, The Acolyte, forced its way onto the stage. At the exhibition’s top, The Acolyte director Leslye Headland walked out to deafening screams of excitement.
Headland says The Acolyte is a story told from the villains’ perspective in the Star Wars Universe. The tale takes place between the High Republic and the prequels, with aspects of the show taking inspiration from many martial arts films and stories, including wuxia and samurai. The Acolyte features a Wookie Jedi character fans will come to love. Joonas Suotamo, the body double for Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and replaced Mayhew after the iconic Star Wars actor passed away, is thrilled to play a Jedi in the show.
Lee Jung-Jae (Squid Game, Hunt, The Housemaid) will also play a Jedi in The Acolyte. Dafne Keen (Logan, His Dark Materials) is also on stage. She says she trained for the role for three months “using sabers.” The Acolyte is still filming, with production hoping to wrap in May.
After the actors gathered on stage, the lights dimmed for a special footage presentation from The Acolyte. In the footage, we see Lee Jung-Jae’s Jedi Master talking to Padawans. Carrie-Anne Moss is there, and she’s kicking ass. The reel ends with a big group of Jedi igniting their lightsabers. The crowd went ballistic!
The Acolyte stars Amandla Sternberg, Lee Jun-Jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean Charles-Chapman, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Here’s the official synopsis from Lucasfilm:
“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.”
The series comes from Leslye Headland, known for the Netflix hit show Russian Doll. She is the creator, showrunner, and executive producer. The production filming in the U.K. also has Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy as executive producer. Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef are joining them as executive producers. Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson will be on as producers.
Are you excited about The Acolyte? What else are you looking forward to from Star Wars Celebration 2023? Let us know in the comments!