Disney CEO Bob Iger has repeatedly stated that the company wants to reduce the number of Marvel and Star Wars material it produces for Disney+, but the company doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon.
Just as the newest season of the animated series, The Bad Batch premieres on Disney+, Collider is revealing that The Acolyte will reportedly debut later this summer on June 5.
The new Lucasfilm TV series was created by Leslye Headland (Russian Doll). It takes place close to the end of the High Republic era and serves as a prelude to the major Star Wars films.
Starring in the series are Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game, The Face Reader) and Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games, The Hate You Give). Filming on the 8-episode first season started in October 2022 and ended in June 2023. Reshoots reportedly took place in December.
Per the official Star Wars website, the series is described as, "a mystery-thriller that will take the audience into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era."
Additional reports state that the series is set more than 100 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, during a time when the Jedi ruled most of the galaxy. The show follows a former Padawan who reunited with her Jedi master to investigate a series of crimes that lead to the discovery of something much more sinister.
In addition to Stenberg and Jung-jae, the show also stars Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), Manny Jacinto (Top Gun: Maverick), Jodie Turner-Smith (The Last Ship, Without Remorse), Dafne Keen (Logan, His Dark Materials), Rebecca Henderson (Russian Doll), Amy Tsang, Margarita Levieva and Charlie Barnett (Chicago Fire).
Headland's pitch was centered in exploring the Star Wars mythos from the point of the bad guys (i.e. Sith) and to use the High Republic era as the backdrop, as the dark side force users are wildly outnumbered during this period.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Headland teased, "How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? [What] went wrong?" It's thought that the show will introduce Emperor Palpatine's predecessor, Darth Plagueis.
In their report on the release date, Collider also adds that Michael Abels has been tapped to provide the score for the show.
In addition to serving as showrunner, Headland also directed the pilot.