The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland says her upcoming High Republic-set Disney Plus series will have the most Jedi out of any Star Wars movie or show.
"We are looking at a time period where the Jedi are at the height of their power," Headland told Entertainment Weekly’s Dagobah Dispatch podcast of the era set hundreds of years before the prequel, one which stands out in the Star Wars timeline as a golden age for the lightsaber-wielding peacekeepers.
As per the show’s synopsis, the series will revolve around a former Padawan who reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but "the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated"
But it’s not just countless Jedi we’ll see in what has already been described as a mystery-thriller that will focus on "emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era."
"What makes this show different and interesting is it's from the perspective of the bad guys or the villains of Star Wars," Headland said.
"These are people who are using the Force in their own way, dipping into the darker sides of the Force, and are doing it without being sanctioned by the larger institution – which in this case is the Jedi." She added, "I just thought it was very interesting to do a show about the bad guys."
"It's almost flipped. We have more Jedi than you've seen in any of the Star Wars content, but at the same time I think you see more morally ambiguous characters than you’ve seen in other Star Wars content."
Of course, you think Jedi, you think lightsabers. Star Wars has had some incredible duels over the years that have entered pop culture folklore – Duel of the Fates and Anakin and Obi-Wan’s high ground battle to name but a few. To that end, Headland also teases what to expect from the action side of The Acolyte.
"I think I can say this pretty confidently: I don’t think you’re going to see action in other shows the way you see it and utilized in our show."
The Acolyte, starring Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, and Manny Jacinto, is set for release in 2024. First footage was released behind closed doors at Star Wars Celebration, an event that also saw the announcement of three more live-action movies.
For more from a galaxy far, far away, here’s our guide to upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.
