Lucasfilm is currently in development on multiple new Star Wars series for Disney+, including The Acolyte. Coming from executive producer Leslye Headland, The Acolyte is set to explore the waning days of the franchise's High Republic era as the Dark Side of the Force begins to grow stronger.
Beyond that, not much is known about the streaming show. Its assumed that the Acolyte in the title will refer to a character who follows, or is being taught, the ways of the Sith. This seems especially likely given the sinister-looking red lettering that makes up the series' logo.
In July, however, fans got that much closer to understanding the scope of the series when Lucasfilm officially announced that The Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg was boarding the show as its lead actor. And now, it would seem as though the studio's list of potential stars for The Acolyte wasn't especially lengthy.
Amandla Stenberg Was The Acolyte's Top Choice
Speaking to The Face, The Acolyte actor Amandla Stenberg revealed that Lucasfilm had them specifically in mind for the show's lead and built the show around her before she had even signed on:
“The Lucasfilm team came to me with this project which was fully conceptualized with me in mind, and I was astounded,”
The young actor went on to share her incredible excitement for the opportunity to join the Star Wars galaxy:
“I get to read, watch and breathe Star Wars. It’s my job to get lost in it, I’m so lucky. My plans were interrupted by a very different life path, but one that I think is going to be a huge blessing.”
Lucasfilm Has Complete Faith in Stenberg
It must have been incredibly flattering to Amandla Stenberg to find out that Lucasfilm had built The Acolyte from the ground up with her in mind. Surely, the studio has complete and utter faith in her to do something like that.
What's more is that Stenberg seems quite enthusiastic about the part itself, mentioning that the gig affords them the ability to "read, watch and breathe Star Wars."
As mentioned above, very little is known about The Acolyte and its overall story outside of the time period and some scant character details. But if the top brass has put every single one of their chips on Stenberg, then they believe in her to be the star of the show.
It would be interesting to know if Lucasfilm had anyone else in mind in the event that Stenberg had turned down the role, but she seemed happy to accept it, so all's well that ends well.
The Acolyte begins production this fall for an anticipated release date of 2023, exclusively on Disney+.
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