It's been revealed (via SFFGazette.com) that the upcoming Star Wars TV series, The Acolyte, will star non-binary actor Amandla Stenberg in a lead role. The news broke via a couple of social media posts, and after rumours first surfaced last December that they were being eyed for the show, the casting is finally official.
Steinfeld's breakout role was in 2012's The Hunger Games as Rue, but they've since gone on to star in movies like The Hate U Give, The Darkest Minds, Everything, Everything, and Dear Evan Hansen. On the TV side, they've appeared in Sleepy Hollow and Mr. Robinson among others.
Filming is expected to start in November, with cameras rolling through to next May. That's all the details we have for now, but it's no secret that the show will take us back to a period known as The High Republic era.
This was a time when the Jedi were at the height of their power, hundreds of years prior to The Phantom Menace. It's an era we've so far seen mostly explored in novels and comic books, though Lucasfilm has used those mediums to set the stage for this TV show and others.
Needless to say, no character details have been revealed at this early stage, so time will tell who Stenberg is playing in The Acolyte. Rumour has it that the show will revolve around the Jedi and Dark Side users, meaning the actor could be a hero or villain; we'll just have to wait and see.
Russian Doll co-creator Leslye Headland is set to serve as Head Writer on The Acolyte, while a recent rumour pointed to Loki director Kate Herron helming at least some episodes of the show.
It's expected to premiere sometime in 2024, but this announcement is hopefully the first of some long overdue official news about The Acolyte. It's one of Lucasfilm's more intriguing projects, and could show us a whole new side to this Galaxy Far, Far Away...