The Acolyte star Dafne Keen has offered a tidbit regarding what Star Wars fans can expect from the upcoming live-action Disney+ series.
It has long been known that The Acolyte would be a "mystery-thriller" taking place during the waning days of the High Republic era -- roughly 100 years before the events of the Star Wars prequel film trilogy -- and that the series would focus on emerging Dark Side powers. However, Keen has now revealed that in addition to offering a canon explanation for how the Sith managed to infiltrate the Jedi Order, The Acolyte will be the first on-screen Star Wars project told from the Sith's perspective.
"I can tease that it's a prequel!" Keen joked when asked if she could reveal anything about the Star Wars series during an interview with TechRadar. "No, I mean, as you know, it's set 100 years before the prequel movies, and it's kind of an explanation of how the Sith infiltrated the Jedi. It's a Sith-led story, which has never been done before," she continued. "It's been really fun to film -- the cast is amazing, and the director and crew are just lovely. The whole experience is wonderful, and I'm already excited for people to see it."
Keen's interview lines up with previous comments made by The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland. "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," Headland told Vanity Fair earlier this year. "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?"
'The Sith Control Everything - You Just Don't Know It'
Of course, in the Prequel Trilogy, Sheev Palpatine -- secretly the Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious -- used political tactics to seize control of the Galactic Republic and, by extension, the Jedi Order. The Jedi's own arrogance also blinded them to this fact, with even Obi-Wan Kenobi initially refusing to believe that a Sith Lord could take over the Republic without the Jedi noticing.
Palpatine, who had been playing both sides of the conflict between the Republic and the Separatists, ultimately seduced Obi-Wan's apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, to the Dark Side of the Force, re-christening him Darth Vader. With Vader at his side, Palpatine reorganized the Republic into the Galactic Empire, going on to rule as Emperor for about two decades.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Is Coming to Disney+
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy originally announced The Acolyte for the Disney+ streaming service during The Walt Disney Company's Investor Day in December 2020. The series is currently in production, though still lacks a premiere date. The Acolyte is led by The Hunger Games alum Amandla Stenberg, who is joined by the aforementioned Keen, as well as Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman and Carrie-Anne Moss. The Star Wars series follows "a former Padawan [who] reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes," uncovering a greater conspiracy in the process.
The Acolyte is slated to stream on Disney+, though does not yet have a premiere date.
Source: TechRadar