While Lucasfilm only announced the casting today, rumors of Stenberg’s involvement in the project go all the way back to last year. Yet, the actor had to keep quiet through it all. Why was now the right time to announce the news?
“When the Star Wars folks found out I was going to be at Comic-Con, they said, ‘Alright, we think it’s time, we’re going to unleash you upon the world.’”
Now that The Acolyte was its star, the question is: what is the show about? Set about 100 years before The Phantom Menace, the series takes places during the High Republic era of Star Wars, a golden age for the Jedi when it’s believed the Sith have been all but eradicated. We of course know that isn’t true. The dark side of the Force is just biding its time. The series seems to focus on the darkness hiding just beyond the light of the Jedi during this age of peace. Disney describes The Acolyte as “a mystery-thriller that will take the audience into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers.”
Russian Doll co-creator Leslye Headland, who is developing the series with Lucasfilm’s Rayne Roberts, is leading the project.
When asked by Vanity Fair how she would describe the project, Headland said, “My question in watching The Phantom Menace was always like, ‘Well, how did things get to this point?’ Do you know what I mean? How did we get to where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? What went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?”
That sounds very intriguing, indeed. And with a talent like Stenberg attached, we’re very excited to see what Lucasfilm comes up with this time.
