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The Acolyte creator had one "guiding principle" for their canceled Star Wars show: "What would George [Lucas] do?"

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By Bradley Russell published 3 June 2025

The Acolyte strived for an "elegant simplicity"

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Qimir and Osha in The Acolyte
(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)
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A year after being canceled, The Acolyte creator Lesyle Headland's "guiding principle" for the Star Wars show has been revealed.

Speaking to Gold Derby, cinematographer Chris Teague revealed how they settled on an approach of "elegant simplicity" when filming the Disney Plus series, which revolved around the saga of two identical twins – Mae and Osha (both played by Amandla Stenberg) – and an ongoing murder mystery after a Jedi (Carrie-Anne Moss) is slain.

From there, Headland subscribed to the mantra of mirroring what George Lucas aimed to achieve back in 1977.

"Leslye would always say, 'What would George do? What would George think?' And that was our guiding principle."

Teague added, "If we're going to move the camera, it needs to mean something. It needs to underline some part of the narrative, or it needs to be connected to some aspect of the choreography, or something like that."

The Acolyte, also starring Manny Jacinto, Charlie Barnett, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, and Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae, was canceled in August 2024, with one report suggesting it was down to 'bad viewership' on Disney's streaming service.

Unfortunately for fans everywhere in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas never got round to creating a live-action Star Wars show before Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm back in 2012.

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The closest attempt, Star Wars: Underworld, was unable to get off the ground – largely due to concerns over its ambitious scale and budget.

For more on the franchise's future, check out our guide to upcoming Star Wars movies. Then dive into past adventures with the full Star Wars timeline.

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Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
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Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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