STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE Showrunner Reveals Why She Hired A Writer Who Had Never Seen Any Of The Movies

STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE Showrunner Reveals Why She Hired A Writer Who Had Never Seen Any Of The Movies

Teasing the sheer number of Easter Eggs that fans can look forward to seeing in The Acolyte, showrunner Leslye Headland reveals why she added a writer who "had literally never seen Star Wars" to the team.

By JoshWilding - Mar 23, 2024 07:03 AM EST
Filed Under: Star Wars
Source: THR (via SFFGazette.com)

Star Wars: The Acolyte has released only a single trailer and, for whatever reason, the Disney+ series is already splitting opinions. We'll leave you to speculate on why that might be, but new comments from showrunner Leslye Headland are bound to only lead to further heated debate among fans. 

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter (via SFFGazette.com) about putting together this eight-episode first season, the Russian Doll creator explained why it was important to her to bring someone into the writers' room who had no prior knowledge of the Star Wars franchise. 

"I just thought it would be good to have the perspective of a person that had literally never seen Star Wars until she was in the room," Headland tells the trade. "And she said to me, 'Why do you want me in this room? I’ve never seen Star Wars. I have no idea. I think there’s a dog in it, but I don’t know anything.'"

"And I was like, 'First of all, you’re an incredible writer, but that’s why I want you here. I want you to be questioning narrative. I don’t want myself, who’s a lifelong fan, to just be relying on particular references in order to create emotional beats. I want those emotional beats to be earned and checked by someone that isn’t super familiar with it.'"

"And it was really funny because she finally watched the Original Trilogy over that Christmas. She watched the Prequels, too, but she kept texting me [about the Original Trilogy] and was like, 'Luke and Vader are...'" Headland recalls. "All those things that we’ve known forever were blowing her mind."

"She was like, 'Luke and Leia are brother and sister!? What the f*ck!?' She was writing all these things to me, and I just thought it was so funny. So she educated herself in order to be in the room, but it was really fun to have somebody like her to help collaborate."

This is bound to raise eyebrows among Star Wars fans who want to see these projects carefully crafted by experts, but it's one writer and Headland makes a compelling point for why their presence could have benefited the wider story being told. 

There's also no need to panic because, elsewhere in this conversation, The Acolyte showrunner shared insights into the many Easter Eggs we'll see in a series she's also confirmed "didn't use the Volume at all" (remember when doing so was considered a good thing?).

"You will see a little bit of Vernestra Rwoh from the High Republic novels. She ends up being live-action for the first time, so that’s definitely a cameo for that audience, I would say. You see a lot of cameos of alien species that I don’t think I’ve seen in post-Disney live-action, meaning a Zygerrian Jedi and a half-Theelin, half-human Jedi."

"There’s also a lot of stuff from the EU that I got to utilize. Nobody stopped me, so I did it," Headland adds. "So if you’re a fan, there will be a species that you might recognize. There are also certain narrative elements. Basically, there are enough Easter eggs if you’re a fan of the Original Trilogy, the Prequels or The Clone Wars. And then there’s some EU sprinkled in."

We're intrigued to see how this one comes together, particularly as it looks to be such a drastic narrative departure for the Disney-owned era of Lucasfilm (the story plays out at the end of The High Republic era, roughly 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace). 

Star Wars: The Acolytle arrives on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere on June 4. 

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IvanBadski
IvanBadski - 3/23/2024, 7:08 AM
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vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 3/23/2024, 7:12 AM
Like in Marvel where the main people behind the camera didnt read the comics.

Sounds about right.
BigPhilbowski
BigPhilbowski - 3/23/2024, 8:45 AM
@vectorsigma - the moist successful franchise in history. You say that like it's a bad thing
Vigor
Vigor - 3/23/2024, 9:06 AM
@BigPhilbowski -
Mm moist
BobbyDrake
BobbyDrake - 3/23/2024, 9:17 AM
@BigPhilbowski - You make that sound so dirty. You’re bad!!!
Ryguy88
Ryguy88 - 3/23/2024, 9:22 AM
@BigPhilbowski - not recently, when they stopped hiring fans of the material
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 3/23/2024, 9:25 AM
@BigPhilbowski - it was successful because the first set of people who handled it read a comic book. Look at it now.
SolarSoldier
SolarSoldier - 3/23/2024, 9:59 AM
@BigPhilbowski - You think the Fox X-men movies hold up today? Bryan Singer banned the comics on set....
marvel72
marvel72 - 3/23/2024, 12:51 PM
@Ryguy88 - Exactly look at the most successful MCU movies.

Iron Man
Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy
Captain America:The Winter Soldier and Civil War
Avengers, Age Of Ultron, Infinity War and Endgame.

All directed by directors that have knowledge of reading comic books.
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 3/23/2024, 1:28 PM
@marvel72 - You missed Iron Man 3
and Black Panther.
BigPhilbowski
BigPhilbowski - 3/23/2024, 4:24 PM
@marvel72 - the fact you mentioned winter soldier proves you're talking out your arse. Russos didn't like cap and thought he was a joke of character.
marvel72
marvel72 - 3/23/2024, 5:12 PM
@BigPhilbowski - And look how cool they made him and The Winter Soldier had elements of the Ed Brubaker run.

So again like I said directors that know about comic books.

So sit back down and listen.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 3/23/2024, 7:12 AM
Honestly , seems like a smart idea to me given her explanation for it…

Hell , Tony Gilroy has said he wasn’t a Star Wars fan at all yet a lot of people here think Andor is the best SW thing in recent years so it can work.

Not being a fan allows you to remain objective as possible so you have no emotional investment in it and can think about it from as much if a logical perspective that comes to mind.

Honestly makes me more excited to check this out and it was already my most anticipated SW project for now!!.

User Comment Image
Vigor
Vigor - 3/23/2024, 7:36 AM
@TheVisionary25 -

I spot a white guy!

User Comment Image
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 3/23/2024, 7:44 AM
@Vigor - User Comment Image

Also I’m pretty sure that’s Dean Charles Chapman whose character description was not intentionally released which is intriguing

Going by the looks of Carrie Anne Moss and Lee Jung Jae too , seems like a flashback.
thewanderer
thewanderer - 3/23/2024, 8:29 AM
@TheVisionary25 - it’s absolutely smart to have at least one person in the room to be able to play devils advocate and pick apart what the others are saying. It’s how you get a well rounded script .
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 3/23/2024, 7:21 AM
Her reasoning makes perfect sense, but some of you bozos will still take an issue with it
Vigor
Vigor - 3/23/2024, 7:32 AM
@FireandBlood - logically it makes sense and I'm always one to hold judgment until final product. But it does give me fears of a Rian Johnson situation

Only thing is, I have zero connection to any of these characters. So she can go butcher them all she wants haha
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 3/23/2024, 7:43 AM
@Vigor - what’s funny is just because Rian had a different perspective on someone like Luke for example makes people think he wasn’t a fan when he was

Dude grew up on the original trilogy and had said multiple times Luke was his favorite SW character

He did his research aswell…

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/star-wars-last-jedi-rian-johnson-claps-back-luke-skywalker-critics-6-perfect-tweets-210620693.html

It’s fine to not like his decisions but the dude is clearly a big fan.
Gabimaru
Gabimaru - 3/23/2024, 9:19 AM
@FireandBlood - yeah sure because hiring a person who has no knowledge in source material always lead to success? right? right?
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 3/23/2024, 9:28 AM
@Gabimaru - care to give examples @FireandBlood ???
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 3/23/2024, 9:29 AM
@Gabimaru - There’s no guarantee to success regardless, but in the case of Star Wars, it has, yes. See Andor.

Also, read the article. It’s about bringing a different perspective to the writing room to challenge the type of shit that leads to anything that resembles fan fiction.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 3/23/2024, 9:29 AM
@vectorsigma - Andor.
EgoEgor
EgoEgor - 3/23/2024, 9:29 AM
@Gabimaru - it's about having a perspective that isn't blinded by fan boyish. I get her logic and she right for doing it, I would do the same. Having a perspective that'll see things you're blind to is a positive and not a negative.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 3/23/2024, 9:38 AM
@FireandBlood - Andor is good, not great imo. A lot of dull moments for a story about rebellion and espionage.

The reason it was is that it was handled by a credible team.

But it did not in any way deal with the deep lore and mythology of star wars. It was a "filler" that didnt have that much ecpectations from fans.

Acolyte is different having to deal with the end of the High Republic. You cant just make up stories about that not knowing the SW lore.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 3/23/2024, 9:41 AM
@vectorsigma - “Andor is good, not great imo”

Ah so you have underdeveloped taste? I understand.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 3/23/2024, 9:50 AM
@FireandBlood - just make a good counter argument man, you give up too easily by saying these kinds of stuff
Gabimaru
Gabimaru - 3/23/2024, 9:50 AM
@FireandBlood - experimental? yes. success? definitely not. Andor might be a high praised television but almost nobody watches it. rogue one was fine in the third act.

Oh you think i didn't get the point? Bringing writers with different perspective are always a gamble to the studio that's why rewrites happen. if only the studios know how to hire a people with passionate care to the source material.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 3/23/2024, 9:54 AM
@FireandBlood - to be fair , I thought it was solid but I didn’t love it like others haha.
Gabimaru
Gabimaru - 3/23/2024, 10:01 AM
@vectorsigma - He always does this high and mighty talk. with condescending tone. in reality he's just insecure little girl.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 3/23/2024, 10:05 AM
@Gabimaru - yeah, ive had these kinds of back and forth with him in the past. Nothing really changed 😂
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 3/23/2024, 10:14 AM
@Gabimaru @vectorsigma - You guys are talking on quality when your tastes are too unrefined and childish to recognise it when it’s staring you in the face. You claim to understand her reasoning just to ignore it anyway, all in favour of being a contrarian.

Do better.
Itwasme
Itwasme - 3/23/2024, 10:18 AM
@Vigor - Rian Johnson was a super fan and he knows Star Wars to a depth most don't like. That was his problem, most fans actually known it at a much more superficial level and he should have stayed there.
Vigor
Vigor - 3/23/2024, 10:31 AM
@Itwasme - his movie would have been better received if it didn't impact the episodes.

Like if he did a rogue one or solo.
Instead his changes impacted the entire trilogy and stories thereafter. I personally think it was a well made movie just but choices for the overarching story (I'm aware they had no plan for the story anyway lol)
Itwasme
Itwasme - 3/23/2024, 10:36 AM
@Vigor - they did have an overall story, but panicked and pivoted. People might have understood the film more had they seen the story play out, but it is what it is.

However, Johnson pulled things from deep deep lore and some far out stories that most people never really went into that depth with. Like the film or not, I don't think it's valid to say he wasn't a fan.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 3/23/2024, 10:40 AM
@FireandBlood - Andor is alright, and when compared to everything else it's great. That's the difference
Vigor
Vigor - 3/23/2024, 10:46 AM
@Itwasme - I never stated he wasn't a fan
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 3/23/2024, 12:24 PM
@FireandBlood - you really are defending the quality of the filler series which @Gabimaru has pointed out that didnt have much viewership. Talk about having the "cant defend point" disease.

You remove Andor in tue SW timeline and nothing is affected. That's how much inconsequential it is that it didnt need SW knowledge to make. Acolyte needs a lot of that because its point in the timeline is crucial to SW mythology.

But what am i blabbering about here, you will just reply with nonsense and think of an adjective to belittle people so, yeah, you do you. 😂
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 3/23/2024, 12:35 PM
@vectorsigma - “Acolyte needs a lot of that because its point in the timeline is crucial to SW mythology.”

No it isn’t. 😂

It’s set during the closing of the High Republic. The only point of time that’s crucial to Star Wars is between Ep 1-6, which funnily enough, Andor is set between. The Acolyte is new ground that’s going to change absolutely nothing that’s been the foundation of Star Wars mythology since 1978, so cut the bollocks.

But this has nothing to do with the timeline. The showrunner is a mega fan who is incredibly versed on the extended media that she’s pulling characters from it into the show. You’re zeroing in on the fact that she’s hired a non-fan to work on the show to keep the rest of the writers room, herself included, grounded without veering off into the fanboyism bollocks.

You asked for an example of when that worked, I not only provided you with one, but I gave you one within complete context of Star Wars, Andor; a critically acclaimed show that, despite you dismissing as filler, is better written than all the rest of it, including the original trilogy.

But you want to be a contrarian. You thrive of hating Star Wars because it’s a Disney IP, so no matter what they do, you was always going to find any old reason, regardless of how silly, to complain about something, and that’s why be you’re here showing your ass by demonstrating your complete inability to recognise quality when you see it.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 3/23/2024, 12:58 PM
@FireandBlood - the trailer is already gaslighting the audience in full on Rian Johnson levels. dont trust what you see! It's not about who is good or bad!




Cringe
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