The future of ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ was up in the air. The series ended without Lucasfilm confirming or denying its continuity for a second season, although showrunner Leslye Headland already announced that she had ideas for telling new stories. The plot leaves some loose ends and reveals the presence of Darth Plagueis, the master of Qimir and Darth Sidious himself. Those who still held out hope of enjoying new episodes have been left stunned, as Deadline has revealed that Disney has decided to cancel it. Now it has been leaked that the company founded by George Lucas had already prepared a table of scriptwriters to outline a new season.
According to critic John Rocha, Lucasfilm began thinking about a second season early this year, even before the first trailer for the series was released: “According to my sources at Disney and Lucasfilm, the studio was actually setting up a writers’ table for The Acolyte Season 2 back in February, with Leslye Headland in tow. They’ve been quietly inquiring about the level of interest and director availability for Season 2 up until last month” of July.
Recapitulation of a failure: what happened with ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’
And what reasons have led to this drastic decision? At the moment, Lucasfilm has not even announced the cancellation, much less the reasons behind the decision. However, the project has had to face several problems: on the one hand, even before it was released on Disney+, it was the target of attacks for reasons that had nothing to do with the production itself. The lead actress, Amandla Stenberg, was once subjected to racist insults, all while social media was filled with hateful comments.
Despite The Acolyte having a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, the general feeling is that the series has not been liked. Beyond the xenophobic, sexist and homophobic comments, many viewers have not been happy with the result and have criticized different aspects of the production, such as the script, the level of the performances or the photography. Even so, the most relevant aspect is its performance on Disney+. Have people seen it? The answer is that it seems not. It started off strong, as the platform’s biggest hit so far this year. The first two episodes reached 11.1 million views in the first few days. The promising start was cut short in the following episodes, to the point that no other ‘Star Wars’ series has been watched as little as the season finale of ‘The Acolyte’.
Even so, some fans have launched a campaign on social media to revive her. Hope is the last thing to be lost.
What series are still in production?
After the cancellation of ‘Lando’ and ‘Rangers of the New Republic’, the future of ‘Star Wars’ on Disney+ does not seem very clear. Neither ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ nor ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ have had a second season. The production of the fourth season of ‘The Mandalorian’ was interrupted and its characters will leave television for movie theaters. In fact, ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ will be the first film in the saga since ‘The Rise of Skywalker’. What is left? This is what is known:
- ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ (premiere: December 4).
- ‘Star Wars: Andor season 2 (premiere: 2025).
- ‘Star Wars: Ahsoka season 2 (no confirmed date).
‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ may not be going ahead, but there will be new stories in novels and comics.
