Leslye Headland & Cast Talk ‘Star Wars: Acolyte’ Setting: “I Am Always Attracted to Immoral Characters”

‘The Acolyte’ is the first live-action show to take place in High Republic time period and the second show overall (the first one was ‘Young Jedi Adventures’). Headland already explained how she was a massive fan of Star Wars Universe during her teen years and she jumped on the first opportunity to add something new and unique to the lore of the franchise.

She explained that she pitched ‘Acolyte’ as ‘Frozen’ meets ‘Kill Bill’ and was heavily influenced by Wuxia films and Samurai action. The trailer already showcased plenty of that, and Headland went to great lengths to explain how ‘Acolyte’ will for the first time ever present Jedi as being vastly superior in numbers to Sith.

In her latest interview with Empire Magazine, Headland explained how she was essentially driven to present a story from a bad guys’ perspective:

I was driven to write a story that essentially was from the perspective of the bad guys. I write that way with my other work. I am always attracted to amoral – or immoral – characters, and finding the humanity within the villains

The show was also described as A Space Fantasy Whodunit by Lee Jung-jae, the actor behind Jedi Master Sol:

It’s one story with several reveals, and new clues and new information each episode. “It’s not just a mystery that you have to find out. It’s not unlike Russian Doll. It’s almost like a spiral – it digs deeper and deeper and deeper. It’s going to get even more intriguing and gripping, because of that detective genre. It’s going to keep you on the edge of your toes, wanting to guess.

In previous interviews, Headland explained that she picked the High Republic for a reason because she wanted to show the Jedi as the height of their powers, as an institution. If your typical Star Wars premise is the underdog versus the institution, in Acolyte, the Jedi Order is supposed to go against the underdog. I have to admit that sounds like an interesting premise, and I can’t wait to see where Headland goes with it.

The show will premiere on June 4 on Disney+ with the first two episodes. Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!

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