‘The Acolyte’ Showrunner Leslye Headland Compares the Upcoming ‘Star Wars’ Series to ‘Russian Doll’
The next chapter in the Star Wars story will be told this June when The Acolyte premieres.
The Disney+ series will introduce the audiences to the era of the High Republic, roughly 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace.
Photo: Lucasfilm
In addition to exploring a new era of galactic history, The Acolyte also promises to turn familiar Star Wars tropes on their head. The series will be told from the point of view of a young Sith apprentice and blur the traditional views of good vs. evil.
“In ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte,’ an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems,” the show’s official synopsis reads.
Photo: Star Wars
The Acolyte Will Be A Mystery
In a recent interview with Total Film, The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland compared the upcoming series to the Netflix series Russian Doll, of which she also just so happened to be the co-creator.
Photo: Lucasfilm
“The Acolyte is a mystery,” she said. “It’s similar to Russian Doll, which was really about giving the audience information episode by episode, this spiral of storytelling. This is a much larger landscape, but it similarly tackles the idea of ‘your eyes can deceive you.’ You’re going to think the show is one thing, but then it’s going to gearshift into something else, and then do it again.”
Seizing the Opportunity
Headland, who is a self-proclaimed Star Wars geek, says she wanted to make sure she capitalized on her opportunity to play in the Star Wars sandbox.
Photo: Also Lucasfilm
“It’s a show packed with everything I wanted to explore. I wanted EU [Expanded Universe] stuff in there, references to the original trilogy, The Phantom Menace, the Disney sequels. It’s absolutely packed,” Headland said. “Because you never know. You may not get the chance again.”
Photo: Also Star Wars
The Acolyte will stream June 4, exclusively on Disney+.
