Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
#1
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Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/star-wars-series-leslye-headland-disney-plus-1234587493/amp/?__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR1WAiRi2pUrSh9Mjfp8ecmn28ZhGW1kENFFZv9uaR50lDx5OVZ4xAnf3F8
A new “Star Wars” series is in the works at Disney Plus, Variety has learned from sources. The series hails from Leslye Headland, the co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of the critically-acclaimed Netflix series “Russian Doll.”
Details of the exact plot of the series are being kept under wraps, but sources say it will be a female-centric series that takes place in a different part of the “Star Wars” timeline than other projects. Headland is said to be attached to write and serve as showrunner on the series, with the show currently staffing.
Reps for Disney and Headland did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.
Headland also directed multiple episodes of “Russian Doll.” The show was nominated for 13 Emmy Awards for its first season, ultimately winning three. Headland began her career writing and directing the “Seven Deadly Plays” series, which includes “Bachelorette” and “Assistance.” “Bachelorette” was the basis for her directorial film debut starring Kirsten Dunst. Her other film credits include writing the 2014 remake of “About Last Night” and writing and directing “Sleeping with Other People.” Besides “Russian Doll,” her other TV credits include “Terriers,” “Blunt Talk,” “SMILF,” and “Black Monday.” She is currently under an overall deal at Fox 21 Television Studios, with the studio now under the Disney umbrella.
She is repped by Michael Sugar at Sugar23 and Steve Younger at Myman Greenspan. She is repped by UTA for directing.
News of the new series development comes after Variety exclusively reported that a third season of “The Mandalorian” is already in the works at Disney Plus ahead of the second season premiere later this year. “The Mandalorian,” one of the launch titles for the Disney-branded streamer, proved to be a major hit and pop culture phenomenon upon its release.
There are currently two other live-action “Star Wars” shows in the pipeline at Disney Plus — an Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor and a Cassian Andor/”Rogue One” prequel series starring Diego Luna. Variety exclusively reported that Joby Harold had recently joined the Obi-Wan series as the writer, while Stellan Skarsgard and Kyle Soller recently joined the Cassian Andor series.
Details of the exact plot of the series are being kept under wraps, but sources say it will be a female-centric series that takes place in a different part of the “Star Wars” timeline than other projects. Headland is said to be attached to write and serve as showrunner on the series, with the show currently staffing.
Reps for Disney and Headland did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.
Headland also directed multiple episodes of “Russian Doll.” The show was nominated for 13 Emmy Awards for its first season, ultimately winning three. Headland began her career writing and directing the “Seven Deadly Plays” series, which includes “Bachelorette” and “Assistance.” “Bachelorette” was the basis for her directorial film debut starring Kirsten Dunst. Her other film credits include writing the 2014 remake of “About Last Night” and writing and directing “Sleeping with Other People.” Besides “Russian Doll,” her other TV credits include “Terriers,” “Blunt Talk,” “SMILF,” and “Black Monday.” She is currently under an overall deal at Fox 21 Television Studios, with the studio now under the Disney umbrella.
She is repped by Michael Sugar at Sugar23 and Steve Younger at Myman Greenspan. She is repped by UTA for directing.
News of the new series development comes after Variety exclusively reported that a third season of “The Mandalorian” is already in the works at Disney Plus ahead of the second season premiere later this year. “The Mandalorian,” one of the launch titles for the Disney-branded streamer, proved to be a major hit and pop culture phenomenon upon its release.
There are currently two other live-action “Star Wars” shows in the pipeline at Disney Plus — an Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor and a Cassian Andor/”Rogue One” prequel series starring Diego Luna. Variety exclusively reported that Joby Harold had recently joined the Obi-Wan series as the writer, while Stellan Skarsgard and Kyle Soller recently joined the Cassian Andor series.
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Rodney2187 (12-08-21)
#2
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
I wonder if it will turn out to be that rumored Doctor Aphra series.
#3
DVD Talk Legend
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
I'd like to see the High Republic era, but might be too expensive to film.
#4
DVD Talk Hero
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
Probably not if it's taking place in a "different part of the timeline." Doctor Aphra is firmly set in the OT-era. She's probably about five years older than Luke, so anything they do with her will have to take place in the familiar OT-Mando era.
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John Pannozzi (12-11-20)
#6
DVD Talk Hero
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
I'm assuming Natasha Lyonne will have a role.
#7
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From: Not necessarily Formerly known as Solid Snake
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
It is going to be about the kid from Rebels ... wasn't he stuck in a time loop or time travel or something?
#8
DVD Talk Legend
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
Ezra? He had the space whales hyperspace sling him and Thrawn super far away so Thrawn couldn’t be part of the events of the OT. I don’t think he’s lost in time so much as lost in space.
#9
DVD Talk Hero
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
I think Ezra is even problematic than Thrawn in that regard, because he's essentially a second "New Hope." Thrawn could easily exist in the OT-era since the Empire is so big and we only saw a small part of it. Ezra, on the other hand, couldn't really coexist with Luke. And in the EU, Thrawn was active during the OT era, just never seen, and he didn't come to power until the vacuum created by the deaths of Vader and Palpatine.
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re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
#11
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
Yep, there was some time travel stuff near the end of Rebels. And as much as I thought something like that could never work in this universe, I remember it made sense to me the way it was explained.
#12
DVD Talk Hero
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
I was really disappointed when they introduced time travel in the Star Wars mythos.
That's such a huge can of worms when it's introduced into space opera because all of a sudden everything sort of becomes "Well, why don't they go back in time and prevent Alderaan from being destroyed?" and it can also start to get overused (see Star Trek).
That's one bell I really wish Star Wars didn't ring.
That's such a huge can of worms when it's introduced into space opera because all of a sudden everything sort of becomes "Well, why don't they go back in time and prevent Alderaan from being destroyed?" and it can also start to get overused (see Star Trek).
That's one bell I really wish Star Wars didn't ring.
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JoeySeven (05-07-24)
#13
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
Mentioned in a Deadline article regarding The Mandalorian:
Adding to the confusion is the fact that Disney+ is developing a female-centered Star Wars series, written and showrun by Leslye Headland, believed to be a female-driven action thriller with martial arts elements and set in an alternate timeline from the usual Star Wars universe.
#14
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
Last edited by dex14; 12-10-20 at 08:07 PM.
#15
DVD Talk Legend
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
I can’t keep up with all these. But I’m interested to know more about the High Republic era.
#16
#17
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
I want to know what they mean by alternate timeline. That could be a HUGE can of worms if they try implementing a multiverse into Star Wars. Or it could be something on a much smaller scale than that, such as a one-off “what if?” type of story. Which, incidentally, I’ve been saying I’d love to see as a SW animated series for a long while now.
#18
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
I want to know what they mean by alternate timeline. That could be a HUGE can of worms if they try implementing a multiverse into Star Wars. Or it could be something on a much smaller scale than that, such as a one-off “what if?” type of story. Which, incidentally, I’ve been saying I’d love to see as a SW animated series for a long while now.
When the other shows were announced yesterday, they said they were “set within the timeline of The Mandalorian”.
Last edited by dex14; 12-11-20 at 06:08 AM.
#19
DVD Talk Hero
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
Mike Zeroh has been going on and on about how this "Leslye Headland" series is supposed to be some kind of cold reboot or something. Don't know if the "alternate timeline" thing would lead any credence to his claims. (Though I think that 99% of the things he reports is just stuff he's pulled out of his ass.)
He's also been claiming that Brie Larsen is going to play the lead, which I don't think has been confirmed anywhere.
I could see them doing a Star Wars multiverse as a way to memory hole the Sequel Trilogy if they want to go in that direction. Though I don't think Star Wars should be a multiverse (nor the MCU, either), and I'd rather they just not fuck it up in the first place to the point where they need to do time travel shenanigans and parallel universes to clean up the continuity.
He's also been claiming that Brie Larsen is going to play the lead, which I don't think has been confirmed anywhere.
I could see them doing a Star Wars multiverse as a way to memory hole the Sequel Trilogy if they want to go in that direction. Though I don't think Star Wars should be a multiverse (nor the MCU, either), and I'd rather they just not fuck it up in the first place to the point where they need to do time travel shenanigans and parallel universes to clean up the continuity.
#20
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
It could now stand to reason what was meant by that article (before the official announcement) was the era in which it takes place... which is the newly establish High Republic era. That setting is well before the prequels. It is a new initiative they are launching next year: https://www.starwars.com/the-high-republic
When the other shows were announced yesterday, they said they were “set within the timeline of The Mandalorian”.
When the other shows were announced yesterday, they said they were “set within the timeline of The Mandalorian”.
#21
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
#22
DVD Talk Hero
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
I wonder how Mike Zeroh is going to spin this since he's claimed that Brie Larson was the lead before anyone (including him) knew the title of the series. 

#23
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
To endure, Star Wars will need new actors, new characters, and a new era, vaulting away from the timeline as we know it. Another upcoming series, The Acolyte, reportedly starring Amandla Stenberg, aims to do that. The show is in the casting phase, but the writing is largely complete, says showrunner Leslye Headland, cocreator of the time-looping Netflix show Russian Doll. She has been planning for it for two years, mostly from the confines of her home. Her dog and cat, who peek in curiously from the background of Zoom conversations, are certainly steeped in the concept of the galaxy’s High Republic era, she says, but casual Star Wars fans who haven’t been following the recent novels and comics might still be unaware.
The Acolyte, Headland says, takes place roughly 100 years before The Phantom Menace: “A lot of those characters haven’t even been born yet. We’re taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don’t know much about. My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, ‘Well, how did things get to this point?’ How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?”
Headland describes The Acolyte as a mystery thriller set in a prosperous and seemingly peaceful era, when the galaxy is still sleek and glistening. “We actually use the term the Renaissance, or the Age of Enlightenment,” she says. Jedis were not always ascetic monklike figures living selflessly and bravely. “The Jedi uniforms are gold and white, and it’s almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about,” Headland says. “The idea is that they could have these types of uniforms because that’s how little they’re getting into skirmishes.”
The Acolyte, Headland says, takes place roughly 100 years before The Phantom Menace: “A lot of those characters haven’t even been born yet. We’re taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don’t know much about. My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, ‘Well, how did things get to this point?’ How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?”
Headland describes The Acolyte as a mystery thriller set in a prosperous and seemingly peaceful era, when the galaxy is still sleek and glistening. “We actually use the term the Renaissance, or the Age of Enlightenment,” she says. Jedis were not always ascetic monklike figures living selflessly and bravely. “The Jedi uniforms are gold and white, and it’s almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about,” Headland says. “The idea is that they could have these types of uniforms because that’s how little they’re getting into skirmishes.”
#24
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
If they set this on ancient Tatooine I am out.
#25
Thread Starter
DVD Talk God
re: Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) -- news, rumors, etc.
Stenberg officially announced today that she's on the series.



