Star Wars: The Acolyte is one of the more mysterious upcoming Star Wars projects coming from the House of Mouse, but they've been gradually drip-feeding us information about the highly anticipated series. The most recent announcement adds True Blood star Jodie Turner-Smith to the cast list, though details of her role have yet to be revealed. Turner-Smith joins Amandla Stenberg as the only cast member announced for the project so far.
Although Jodie Turner-Smith started out on True Blood, her star has really risen in recent years with riveting performances in acclaimed projects like Queen & Slim and After Yang. The next place you'll be able to see her is opposite Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and Don Cheadle in White Noise. White Noise is the latest film from Noah Bambauch and it just premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Star Wars: The Acolyte is certainly a huge project, as with anything Star Wars-related, so it'll be interesting to see what Turner-Smith brings to the table and what role she'll be playing in the upcoming series.
Star Wars: The Acolyte takes place in the High Republic era, an era of Star Wars history that Disney hasn't touched on too much in their new canon. For reference, the series takes place roughly 100 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, which saw the beginning of the Skywalker Saga. During the end of the High Republic era, Count Dooku was also born and taken on by Yoda as a Padawan. Perhaps we may see some of this storyline in the series. The series will be a mystery thriller that will focus on the emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic. The High Republic era is known as the golden age of the Jedi, so there are sure to be plenty of interesting characters involved. Based on the era and description of the series, it seems pretty likely that Jodie Turner-Smith will be playing a Jedi or a Sith. In either case, she's sure to bring plenty of intensity and charisma to the role.
Star Wars: The Acolyte is in good hands, as it's being developed by Leslye Headland. Headland is best known for her work on the Emmy-nominated series Russian Doll. Headland will serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer on Star Wars: The Acolyte. Her knack for mind-bending stories and innovative filmmaking shown in Russian Doll should make Star Wars: The Acolyte, unlike any Star Wars project we've seen yet.
While we wait for Star Wars: The Acolyte to hit Disney+ in August of 2023, we have plenty of other Star Wars projects to keep us occupied. Andor is just around the corner, with the series premiere set for September 21. Andor follows Cassian Andor's (Diego Luna) path to becoming a Rebel hero. We first met Andor in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Andor is created by Tony Gilroy and will air its first three episodes when it premieres on Disney+. It has already been greenlit for a second season.
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