Honest Trailer for The Acolyte

Now that The Acolyte has completed its season, Screen Junkies has released their Honest Trailer for it. Its just an amusing take that does highlight some of the weaknesses of the series.

Even More Acolyte TV Spots

Star Wars: The Acolyte's first two episodes are available now on Disney+. New episodes will come out Tuesday for the next six weeks.

Acolyte TV Spots, Sith Discussion

The Acolyte will be premiering on June 4th with first two episodes. Below is a new TV spot and behind the scenes discussion on the Sith.

More Acolyte Videos

Disney+ is pushing The Acolyte premiere on June 4th harder than normal with multiple YouTube vids and probably TV spots all over the place. Here are more spots and quick behind the scenes stuff.

The Acolyte Introduces Sol and Williams' Violin Arrangement

Disney+ continues to post videos in the run-up to the June 4th release of the first two episodes of The Acolyte. The first video is an introduction to Sol (See Lee Jung-jae), one of the Jedi in the series. The second video is a violin performance by series star Amandla Stenberg using a violin arrangment from John Williams for her. The last is a quick vid, probably for Tik Tok, that weirdly is probably the most clear on what at least the first few episodes may be about.

New Acolyte TV Spot

Just a few weeks from the June 4th release of the first two episodes of The Acolyte on Disney+. Here is a new TV spot that shows off a bunch of different Jedi including a Wookie one.

The Acolyte TV Spot Fight Sequence

Here is a new TV spot for The Acolyte coming to Disney+ on June 4. Shows a nice fight sequence with shades of the Matrix that suggests that there might be more Jedi action on this show than use too (aka close to zero). Hopefully part of the plan of having a show set in the High Republic era is can finally see what a powerful Jedi can do as the movies never really showed that off.

May the 4th Official Trailer for The Acolyte

Happy May the 4th, aka Star Wars Day. As part of the day the full six episode season of Star Wars: Tales of the Empire was released. In addition, here is the official trailer for The Acolyte which will premiere on June 4th on Disney+.

Star Wars: The Acolyte Gets Poster, Release Date, and Trailer

Disney+ has revealed the official release date of The Acolyte series as June 4th. The series will take place fifty years before Star Wars: The Phantom Menace during the tail end of what is called the High Republic era. 

The official synopsis is "an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems."

Considering the tag line is "In an age of light, a darkness rises", can't help but wonder if events lead to Emperor Palpatine beginning his path to conquering the New Republic. As for other Star Wars series in the works, the unofficial plans is Skeleton Crew is looking at late 2024 release and Andor's second and final season in first half of 2025. Ahsoka season two will and The Mandalorian and Grogu movie are also still aiming for 2026 releases.

Phantom Menace Returns To Theaters, Acolyte Release and Mandalorian Movie Sets Production Start

Just some quick news on the Star Wars front.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menance will return to theaters for May the 4th weekend for its 25th Anniversary. The length of time in theaters is "limited" so probably based on ticket sales. No other details were provided.

The Acolyte series will hit Disney+ sometime this summer. The series is set 50 years before the Phantom Menace and will focus on a Padawan and her Master as they investigate crimes.

The Mandalorian and Grogu movie will begin production in June 2024. The film is written and directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man) who, along with Dave Filoni, is a driving force between the various Star Wars TV series for the last 5 years. Season 4 of The Mandalorian remains a possiblility as its not been cancelled but future plans remain murky.

Star Wars: The Acolyte Set for 2024 Release

Star Wars Celebration 2023 has started and the result is a bit of a news dump on upcoming plans for Star Wars for the next few years. Starting with The Acolyte which is now set to premiere on Disney+ in 2024. No specific date in that year but wouldn't be surprised if its by summer. The show stars Amandla Stenberg, Carrie-Anne Moss, Lee Jung-Jae and more. The series is set about 100 years before A New Hope during the "Golden Age of the Jedi" in the High Republic era. Footage was show to attendees, described by Gizmodo:

Each could be seen in the series’ brief footage, shown in the room only. It began with a group of younglings, all types of humans and aliens, being trained by a Jedi Master in bright white robes played by Lee Jung-jae. “Close your eyes. Your eyes can deceive you. We must not trust them,” he says as we see a very run-down, busy village where a hooded figure walks down the street. “The Force is powerful. It’s a power we must respect,” the Jedi master’s speech continues. Inside a bar, a Jedi is sitting, played by Carrie-Anne Moss. For some reason, the Jedi and this hooded figure, played by Stenberg, begin to fight. Stenberg’s character looks like a ninja, complete with a black mask covering the bottom of their face.

The rest of the footage plays mostly in montage: We see footage inside what looks like a Jedi temple. Several younger Jedi (Keen and Barnett) sneak through tight spaces. Someone is scaling up the side of a temple. There’s a scene in the snow. A Neimoidian appears. And finally, Stenberg’s character says over the montage, “This isn’t about good or bad. This is about power. And who is allowed to use it.” The final shot is of around eight Jedi standing in the woods, with Jung-jae’s character in the middle. He lights up his lightsaber, and then all the other Jedi join him, igniting their own blades of all different colors. The vibes we got were sort of a samurai movie mixed with a heist movie, but with a lot of Jedi.

Star Wars: The Acolyte Cast Revealed, Movie Director Musical Chairs Continues

Some news on the Star Wars movie front as director J.D. Dillard is no longer going to direct a Star Wars film. Nor will he direct The Rocketeer 2 film. News to me on both fronts and I actually try to pay attention to such thinks. Apparently his film would have been inspired by an old TIE fighter video game. Whatever the plan was, none of it got past the scripting phase.

Director Shawn Levy (The Adam Project) has signed on to direct a Star Wars film. No other information has been revealed so could be about anything. Levy's next project is directing Deadpool 3 so whatever he might plan for Star Wars is at least two years away, three more likely. Considering the last five or so years has included multiple directors signing on and leaving various movie Star Wars movie plans, I wouldn't get excited until actually hear that filming has started. Even then no guarantees since half the new era films replaced their director's after filming started.

What is a guarantee is the cast of Star Wars: The Acolyte. Filming on the Disney+ series has started with the cast announced. Nothing has been revealed about the show except that it takes place near the end of the High Republic or about 80 to 100 years before A New Hope. From Gizmodo, "The Hate U Give’s Amandla Stenberg was already announced to star in the series, but she’ll be joined by Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae, The Good Place’s Manny Jacinto, His Dark Materials’ Dafne Keen, Russian Doll’s Charlie Barnett, Inventing Anna’s Rebecca Henderson, 1917's Dean-Charles Chapman, The Matrix’s Carrie Anne-Moss, and Queen & Slim’s Jodie Turner-Smith."

The official synopsis - The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.

Star Wars: The Acolyte Casts Lead

This weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con, Disney+ officially confirmed that Amandla Stenberg (The Eddy, Rue in The Hunger Games) has been cast as the lead in Star Wars: The Acolyte. The series is set 100 years before Star Wars: The Phantom Menace during era of the High Republic when Jedi were at their strongest and the Sith were thought to have been eliminated from the Galaxy. Nothing else was revealed about the upcoming Disney+ series.

Vanity Fair Article Outlines Future of Star Wars for TV and Film

Vanity Fair is providing a pretty good look Disney+ every expanding Star Wars TV universe. The article is worth reading for fans. Below if a a few highlights of note. 

TV Shows: 

- Obi-Wan Kenobi is out May 27 as Ewan McGregor reprises the role to protect Luke from an Inquistor that hunts down the Jedi and potential force users. 

- Andor, coming out late summer, will focus on the character from Star Wars: Rogue One along with Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) who becomes the leader of the Rebels. 

 - The Mandalorian season 3 is aiming for late 2022 to early 2023 release date. 

 - Ahsoka is still in the works, no release date set but aiming for 2023 release. 

- The Acolyte is also planned, set about 100 years before The Phantom Menace. Set in the time of a "prosperous and seemingly peaceful era" at least on the surface. 

- "Grammar Rodeo", code name for untitled Star Wars series set in same period as The Mandalorian from director Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and writer Chris Ford (Spider-Man: Homecoming), is described as "galactic version of classic Amblin coming-of-age adventure films of the ’80s." 

TV Shows Highlights: 

- Mary Elizabeth Winstead has been cast in Ahsoka in unnamed role. 

- Andor is described by lead Diego Luna as "a refugee story, with desperate people fleeing the Empire at the full force of its power." 

- Dave Filoni, who worked along side George Lucas and worked on all Star Wars cartoons, had added to the Mandalorian people that was different then The Mandalorian creator Jon Farveau was planning. The two worked together to merge their visions of the culture. 

- “I think people now look back and think it was like a slam dunk, but we were very cautious,” Filoni says of the Child. “The amount of measuring, especially in the first season, for how we were framing this kid took a lot of effort.” 

- Star Wars TV shows are filmed in studio space called The Volume (also called StageCraft), where large curved LED wall allows them to create whatever environment they need to create look as if filmed on location. Four Volumes now exist, three in LA, one in London and one in Vancouver. 

- Decision to add Darth Vader, played by Hayden Christensen, to Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn't decided until March 2020. Initial drafts of the show concept did not include him in large part because of their final confrontation in A New Hope. 

- The decision to cast Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka was influenced by fan art of her as the character. - Kathleen Kennedy on re-casting the core Star Wars cast, "There should be moments along the way when you learn things. Now it does seem so abundantly clear that we can’t do that." (Stupid lesson to take from the Solo film not doing well instead of recognizing it was a weak story that came out just a few months after audience divisive The Last Jedi.) 

Movies: 

- Untitled movie from director Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnorok) and writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns (1917) is first in new pipeline. No release date or other story details. 

- Rogue Squadron, from director Patty Jenkins, is still planned but that could be many years away. 

- Rian Johnson (The Last Jedi) was going to do a new trilogy but that is on hold due to his Netflix deal for the Knives Out franchise. (It is likely dead.) “I hesitate to use the word trilogies anymore because Star Wars is much more about persistent storytelling,” Kennedy says.

Lead Hired for Star Wars: The Acolyte Series

Deadline is reporting that Amandla Stenberg (Dear Evan Hansen) has been cast in unnamed leader role for Star Wars: The Acolyte series for Disney+. Little is known about this series except that it takes place in the "final days of the High Republic era" of the Star Wars Universe. This is a new era of the Star Wars Universe that was introduced after JJ Abrams scrapped the Extended Universe and has mostly been explored in comics and books in the last few years.

In the Star Wars time line, just know that the High Republic is period that began 200 before and ended with Order 66 that killed most of the Jedi in the universe and the emergence of the Galactic Empire. This suggests the new TV series will either take place shortly before or during the first 3 episodes of the Star Wars movies. The name of the series is just neutral enough that it could have been about someone being groomed to be a Jedi or Sith. However, considering this is the first black person to lead a Star Wars anything, there is no chance of it being a villainous role. Guess time will tell exactly on when and what the series is about as it reaches production sometime in 2022, likely for a 2023 release date.

Disney Reveals 10 Star Wars Series in the Works, Rogue Squadron Movie

Today Disney held its annual investor conference. With the company as a whole shifting to a streaming model, that meant revealing their plans for 2021 and beyond across all their brands including Lucasfilm with Star Wars. The biggest bit of news is they have 10 Star Wars series that plan on creating over the next year or so. The release dates, what few there are, are pretty vague but plans are to start rolling things out likely in late 2021 and throughout 2022. 

Star Wars: 

Rogue Squadron 

Andor 

The Mandalorian Season 3 

Ahsoka

Rangers of the New Republic

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Lando

The Acolyte

The Bad Batch

Visions

Lucasfilm:

Indiana Jones 5

Willow

Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman 84) has been tapped to direct Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. In a tweet the director expressed the project is personal as she wants it to reflect her loss and love of her fighter pilot father by making the "greatest fighter pilot movie of all time." Rogue Squadron is the designation of the pilots that attacked the Death Star in The Battle of Yavin in Star Wars: A New Hope. Luke Skywalker is a founding member, first flight leader and the one who named the squadron using Jyd Erso from Star Wars: Rogue One as inspiration for their call sign (as depicted in Star Wars comics). In the now defunct Legacies/Extended Universe stories, Rogue Squadron continued on, members coming and going as the Resistence fought the Empire on multiple fronts. It later reformed during the age of the New Republic to fight new enemies. End result is the movie could pretty much be set at any time in Star Wars canon and use any old or new characters as it sees fit to tell its story. 

Speaking of Rogue One, the prequel movie will get its own prequel series of sorts with Andor. Diego Luna will reprise his character of Cassian Andor. The series will show the Rebellion spy doing his work before his job at some point before the movie as it will likely depict origins of the Rebellion. Below is a brief a "sizzle reel" for the series. 

The Mandalorian season 3 is expected to drop around Christmas time in 2021. It will also spin off two series Ahsoka and Rangers of the New Republic. Ahsoka will have Rosario Dawson return to the role with Disney saying its set "within the timeline of The Mandalorian." The assumption is it will continue to explore the characters search for Admiral Thrawn from Star Wars: Rebels.  Rangers of the New Republic will follow some of the "sheriff" type characters that have periodically helped The Mandalorian. Exactly who will be in the series was not revealed.

For years it was rumored that next non trilogy movie would be Obi-Wan. After Solo failed to perform, the movie was cancelled. But not the idea as Disney decided to shift to a series. That remains the case but now its been revealed that Hayden Christensen will return as Darth Vader for the series. The series itself will take place 10 years after the events of Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith. 

The details are light on Lando but Donald Glover reprise the role from Solo and likely will be set somewhere around that time period which is also after The Revenge of the Sith. Justin Simien (Dear White People) is set to create the series. 

According to Disney's tweet, "The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic Era." The end of the High Republic era was depicted in Star Wars Episodes I to III but that era was around 1000 or so years old in time frame. Probably to give viewers landmarks, I wouldn't be surprised if the series is set a little bit before The Phantom Menace. 

With all the live action announcements, Disney has not forgotten the cartoon side of things that kept the Star Wars flame going for years between movies with Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Visions. Bad Batch is set after end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series. The Batch is a reference to the fact that during this time all soldiers were clones of Jango Fett, father of Boba Fett. From Disney: "Star Wars: The Bad Batch follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in “The Clone Wars”) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch—a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army—each possess a singular exceptional skill that makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose. This animated series will arrive exclusively on Disney+." Trailer for Bad Batch is below. 

Star Wars: Visions will be a series of "animated short films, celebrates Star Wars galaxy through the lends of the world's best Japanese anime creators. Coming in 2021 to Disney+" 

On a related note, Lucasfilm has other plans beyond Star Wars with Indiana Jones 5 going into production in 2021 for a July 2022 release date with James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari) directing. Harrison Ford will return to the role, likely for the last time in what many are assuming will be one more attempt to hand the role off to another. The current rumor is Chris Pratt. The Willow TV series is coming in 2022 with Jon Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) directing the pilot. Warwick Davis will reprise the role of Willow Ufgood from the 1988 film.